One injured in runaway bus accident in New York City

A man was injured in a scary bus accident in Brooklyn, NYC yesterday around 12:30 am.   The accident occurred on Palmetto Street in Bushwick.

For some unknown reason, the bus driver, Shatimma Simmons, decided to exit the bus. It was Shatimma’s third day on the job and she mistakenly left the bus in neutral instead of park. After she stepped out of the vehicle, the bus started to roll backward down Palmetto street. According to witnesses, the driver started to run after the bus while screaming “Help! Help! Please stop the bus!”. The vehicle rolled backwards down 3 blocks  at full speed and without a driver  while witnesses watched in horror.

The bus slammed into several vehicles before crashing into the wall of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Knickerbocker Ave. The bus first drove through the church fence and then hit one of the brick columns. Nicholas Rivera was in the process of changing headlights on his BMW when the bus slammed into it. The man was sent flying into the street. Witnesses saw blood pouring out of his face while he was lying on his back.  He was transported to the hospital to be treated. Fortunately he only suffered minor injuries and was released the same day. The 30 year old bus driver was also taken to the hospital to be observed. She wasn’t physicality injured but she was definitely under intense stress. She was mumbling and seemed extremely upset.  Her error caused thousands of dollars of damages on at least 10 cars and the church property.

The MTA is investigating the accident. The bus driver had only been on the job for 3 days. She was hired at the end of April and had just finished 6 weeks of  training. She was temporarily suspended and there is a possibility that she may never be authorized to drive a bus again.