An MTA bus accident in Queens left 14 people injured including two firefighters. That accident occurred as a FDNY truck responding to a fire call struck the MTA bus in the Astoria neighborhood. Reports show that the MTA bus was travelling along Ditmars Boulevard (near the intersection with 21st Street) just after noon on June 26th when the firetruck slammed into the side of a bus.
Eyewitnesses say it sounded like a bomb went off when the two massive vehicles collided. The firetruck hit the bus so hard that it actually forced the bus sideways up onto the sidewalk, almost driving it into a storefront. The bus narrowly missed patrons of an outdoor café–by mere feet–before crashing into two parked cars and coming to a stop. When rescue crews arrived they pulled twelve individuals out of the bus–including at least one pregnant woman and an undisclosed number of children–with various injuries. In addition, two firefighters, including the driver of the firetruck, were treated for undisclosed injuries. One man at the scene rushed to aid the victims of the crash and held the driver of the firetruck up as he hung precariously out of the vehicle’s window. Another firefighter actually had to exit the truck, come around the side, and get in through the driver’s door to stop the vehicle from rolling forward.
As scary as the bus accident in Queens was, it could have been much worse. The bus could have slammed into customers seated at the tables of the nearby café.
When the full details of this bus accident in New York City are learned, it may be that the drivers of the firetruck and bus were both at fault. If so, the FDNY, City of New York and the MTA could be sued by the injured individuals for their pain and suffering.
If you’ve been injured in any kind of bus crash, speak with an expert New York City bus accident attorney at the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel. For a free consultation, call 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122.