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Officials: Port Authority Bus Crash Caused By Reckless Driving

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An accident that forced a Port Authority over a hillside Monday afternoon appears to have been caused by reckless driving.

Jim Ritchie of the Port Authority says the accident happened as a result of two Port Authority buses, "driving in a reckless manner," on Interstate 279.

"It doesn't seem appropriate," Ritchie said. "It does seem reckless in nature in terms of how they were behaving and clearly the contact with the buses appears to have been a causal factor in the accident."

It appears both drivers gestured to one another before one lost control. One bus went over a hillside and came to rest in the 3900-block of Evergreen Avenue on the North Side. The driver was injured as a result of the crash.

In an email to the Port Authority Board members, it stops short of saying the two drivers were drag racing.

"They were going fast," Ritchie said. "They were switching lanes, as I said, they were gesturing to each other at the same time and at some point, the buses did make contact with each other."

Fortunately, there were no passengers on the bus at the time.

Ritchie also says both drivers, "potentially could face termination."

Also the second driver involved in the accident appears to have stopped briefly after the accident, but then drove away and did not report the accident.

Port Authority Police are still investigating what charges are appropriate.

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