LOS ANGELES, CA – A serious accident involving a University of Southern California (USC) shuttle bus and a Metro light rail train has injured at least 55 people in Los Angeles.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the incident occurred around noon Tuesday on Exposition Boulevard near the USC Campus and the Natural History Museum. LA Metro representative Dave Sotero disclosed that the shuttle bus crossed the E Line train’s path, causing the collision. The train route, spanning from East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica, intersects various streets and lacks barriers at several crossings.
Eyewitness Genesis Hernandez described the scene, noting significant damage to the bus’s front end, followed by a flurry of ambulances in response to the accident.
The USC Transportation Department confirmed that the Starcraft 40-passenger bus had only its driver and one passenger onboard at the collision time. These two individuals sustained the most grievous injuries from the incident, according to fire department officials.
Additionally, over 150 passengers were on the Santa Monica-bound Metro train at the time of the accident. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that first responders evaluated and treated at least 55 people due to the train-bus collision. Sixteen of these individuals were transported to local medical facilities in fair condition, while the rest were treated and released at the accident scene.
Sotero stated that the Los Angeles Police Department would spearhead the investigation into the collision. He also conveyed LA Metro’s sympathies to those injured.