MBTA bus slams into cars after driver suffers apparent medical emergency in Medford
By Amanda Callahan, WBZ-TV
An MBTA bus driver appears to have suffered a medical emergency Thursday morning, causing him to crash into several cars. It happened around 11 a.m. on the Fellsway in Medford.
MBTA Transit Police said the 62-year-old bus driver was operating an out-of-service bus eastbound on the Fellsway. When the bus approached the intersection at Salem Street, the driver did not stop and slammed into the car in front of him.
The impact pushed that car into the rear of the vehicle in front of them. The bus then continued through the intersection, slammed into a parked car, went over the sidewalk and came to a stop on the front lawn of a home in the area. The bus was wedged between a large tree and what was left of a light pole.
"Discovered an MBTA bus that had struck several vehicles and hit a light pole and wound up on the front yard of a home on Fellsway West," said Medford Fire Lieutenant Mike Lutkevich.
Brooke Shapiro was inside the home when she looked out the window and saw the bus coming toward her. "If it hit the house, who knows what the damage would have been," said Shapiro, who immediately called 911.
The bus driver was hospitalized as well as two people who were in the cars that were hit by the bus. Six other cars were damaged. Transit Police said all three people are expected to be OK.
Some of the cars that were damaged were in the middle of the road and others were parked outside homes. "I was actually sleeping and my other roommate woke me up and was like, 'Hey, I need your license because there's a bus on the front lawn and your car has taken a little bit of damage,'" said Mary Kate Lynch.
One woman says she heard the crash from her house five blocks away and came running down. "I heard about five different bangs, so I knew it was a car crash pretty much right there," said Phoebe Magane. "I've lived here for four years and never seen anything like this."
In a statement, MBTA Transit Police said, "We are extremely grateful no one was seriously injured or worse. We are very cognizant of what could have transpired."
