16 people injured in a MTA bus crash in Brooklyn

16 people were injured in a MTA bus crash in Brooklyn, NYC last week. The B49 MTA bus crashed into a building located at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Bedford Avenue. The bus was stuck in the building for several days as the Department of Buildings found that the damage to the building were so bad that it was not safe to remove the bus. They also asked for residents to evacuate the building. The building belongs to a doctor who has his office at the garden level. Nobody inside the doctor office at the time of the accident was injured. They heard a loud noise and felt the impact of the bus hitting the building.

The driver whose name was not released is a 55 year old man who has been driving a MTA bus for 13 years without any prior accident. According to the New York Times he mentioned to a neighbor that his foot got stuck between the brake and the accelerator. Except for some bloody hands, he seemed to be ok and his only worry was that passengers were ok.

13 passengers in the hospital

13 passengers were transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and all of them were able to walk out of the bus.

According to residents, collisions are common at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Bedford Avenue. 20 years ago a car crashed into the exact same building. More than 20 crashes have been recorded by NYC Crash Mapper at this specific location and more than 20 people have been injured including pedestrians and cyclists. Just a block away on Sterling and Bedford a pedestrian was previously killed in a crash. NYC Crash Mappers shows that Bedford Avenue and Leffert Street have a high number of crashes at the intersection where the accident occurred and also all around the area (see illustration above).

Illustration source: courtesy of NYC Crash Mapper