Crash Leaves MTA Bus Hanging Off Expressway In Bronx; 8 Injured

KEY POINTS

No other vehicles were involved in the accident
Police said either the bus driver missed the turn or the brakes failed
The passengers' injuries were minor

An MTA passenger bus went off the road, crashed through a barrier and was left dangling off an overpass in the Bronx, leaving eight people, including the driver of the vehicle, injured.

The incident happened at 11.10 p.m. ET Thursday at the Cross Bronx Expressway at University Avenue, NBC New York reported.

The police said the BX-35 bus driver, who was unable to navigate the roadway, skidded off the road. No other vehicles were involved in the accident and most injuries were minor. However, the driver of the bus was seriously hurt in his jaw. He is currently in a stable condition, NBC New York reported.

"We assessed and treated a total of eight patients from this accident. The bus fell approximately 50 feet onto the access road. The patients suffered injuries consistent with a fall from such a great height," said New York Fire Department (FDNY) Deputy Chief Paul Hopper who oversaw the emergency medical treatment, ABC News reported.

The FDNY officials said they suspect the driver may have experienced brake failure or didn't properly navigate the turn, ABC News reported. The route calls for a left turn into the expressway, but the driver somehow missed the turn. No arrests were made as the police think it was an accident and the driver was not impaired.

The FDNY also posted a video showing its members operate on the scene. Videos also appeared on Twitter and Citizen App, showing half of the bus hanging vertically from the overpass.

FDNY units are on scene of a motor vehicle accident at University Ave and the Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx where a tandem bus has crashed through the barriers and is hanging off the overpass onto the roadway below. There are nine civilian injuries reported at this time. pic.twitter.com/00YQ897hhs
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 15, 2021

The road traffic was interrupted on the New Jersey-bound lanes of the Cross Bronx Expressway, and FDNY Acting Battalion Chief Steven Moore said delays are expected in the area until a crane arrives to remove the bus from the bridge.

“Currently we are making sure all the fuel and other hazardous materials within the vehicle are secured until the bus can be pulled onto the roadway,” said Moore, NBC New York reported.

New York City councilor Mark Levine also took to Twitter to post about the accident. He tweeted emergency services had closed off the entire area after the "horrible accident."

Last week, the Bronx had witnessed another roadblock following a tractor-trailer accident. The incident happened on the ramp from the Major Deegan Expressway to the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway.