LOS ANGELES — A Metro light rail train and a University of Southern California shuttle bus collided Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles, resulting in at least 55 people suffering injuries, according to officials. This incident occurred along the bustling Exposition Boulevard, near the USC campus and the Natural History Museum, and was reported by the LA Fire Department.
The collision happened shortly before noon, and emergency response teams were swiftly dispatched to the location. Two individuals sustained serious injuries and were immediately hospitalized, while 16 other victims are reported in fair condition. Additional care was provided to another 37 individuals who were treated directly at the scene of the accident.
LA Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero confirmed that the shuttle bus inadvertently entered the train’s trajectory. The E Line train, which regularly operates from East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica through urban streets, encounters several street-level crossings, many lacking protective gates.
Witness Genesis Hernandez, a 19-year-old college student, was in the vicinity transferring buses when the collision took place. Hernandez observed the aftermath from the Expo/Vermont Metro station, noting the considerable damage to the front end of the bus contrasted with relatively minor damage to the train.
Television coverage displayed the significant impact of the crash, showing the red and white bus’s left side crumpled against the train’s foremost car, indicating the collision’s intensity.
Source: ABC10.com KXTV
