City bus crashes into Santa Monica building

A city bus crashed into the side of a Santa Monica building Monday afternoon. 

According to Big Blue Bus spokesperson Robert McCall, the crash happened at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. While the bus driver was taken to the hospital, no passengers required hospitalization. Riders were transferred to another bus and taken to their destination. 

A witness said that the bus was trying to avoid a crash and ended up swerving into a nearby Firestone tire business.

"It sounded like an earthquake," said store manager Alex Virula. "I looked out the window and it was almost like a movie. I just see a big blue bus coming along and I'm wondering where it was going to stop. Then I notice that it stopped right by our front door."

The bus took down a tree and hit a parked vehicle that belonged to one of the Firestone employees. 

"As soon as I saw it, she hit my boss's truck," said witness Jesus Hernandez. "I thought it was an earthquake. It sounded like something hit very hard."

Typically when school is in session, Virula said a food truck with high school students usually congregated near it is parked right where the bus crashed.