BUS ACCIDENT: Commute Bus hits Car and Tree, Crashes Apartment Wall in Pasadena

November 16, 2010

Pasadena – At least three people were injured after a bus crashed into a car, a tree, and an apartment wall Tuesday morning, authorities said.

According to Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian, the collision occurred around 7:30 am at Madison Avenue and Cordova Street.

Investigators said the female driver of a Nissan Maxima told them that she checked before driving into the intersection, but a Commuter Express bus operated by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation came up and hit her.

The Nissan spun around while the bus swerved, hit a tree, and finally came to rest against an apartment patio wall which separates the building from the pool area. Fortunately, the bus did not hit the apartment itself.

Firefighters used the bus emergency escape window to pull out the driver and a passenger. The Nissan’s driver suffered moderate injuries while the bus driver and passenger complained of less serious injuries. All of them were taken to Huntington Hospital.

Derderian said the bus sustained major front-end damage, but the Search and Rescue team found no damage on the apartment structure.

Cordova Street, from Los Robles to El Molino Avenues, was shut down for several hours due to the investigation.