Train and bus crash in Los Angeles, injuring over 50 people

Officials said that when a University of Southern California shuttle bus and a Metro light rail train collided on Tuesday along a major street in downtown Los Angeles, at least 55 people were injured, two of them critically.

The LA Fire Department reports that the collision occurred just before noon on Exposition Boulevard, close to the USC campus and the Natural History Museum.

According to the agency, 16 patients were transferred in good condition, while two victims were admitted to the hospital with critical injuries. At the site, 37 more patients received treatment.

According to LA Metro spokesman Dave Sotero, the bus got in the way of an E Line train. From East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica, the light rail route mostly travels on streets; not all of the crossings have gates.

Genesis Hernandez said that “all of a sudden I just saw a bunch of ambulances going by” as she changed from a Metro bus to the E Line to go to Santa Monica, where she attends college.

From a platform at the Expo/Vermont Metro station, the 19-year-old was able to see the scene of the collision. She said, “The bus got crunched on its front end, for sure.” “It didn’t appear that badly damaged.”

The red and white bus’s left side was crushed up against the train’s first car in a television news video. There was serious damage to the bus’s front portion.

According to a USC Transportation statement, the incident happened as the 40-seat Starcraft bus was heading westbound on Exposition Boulevard, carrying just the driver and one passenger. Officials from the fire department said that the two most seriously hurt were the passenger and the bus driver.

According to authorities, there were around 150 people aboard the Metro train headed for Santa Monica.

According to Sotero, the Los Angeles Police Department will lead the inquiry.

In an email, Sotero stated, “Metro offers its sympathy to those injured in the accident.”

For the duration of the preliminary inquiry, Exposition Boulevard was blocked in both directions. According to Metro, buses will be used to transport people past the collision area and its train service will be restricted.