Many people throughout the Pittsburgh area utilized public transportation in the form of buses. Accordingly, it is not uncommon to see them on routes throughout the metro area. With so many of them regularly on the roads, it is inevitable that they will at some point be involved in a car accident.

A Port Authority bus was involved in one such accident earlier this month. The incident, involving the 54 North Side-Oakland-South Side bus, occurred a bit before midnight when it collided head-on with an SUV. The location of the accident was close to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and the Birmingham Bridge.

The two vehicles hit so hard that the floor of the bus actually buckled. It also resulted in the person behind the wheel of the SUV being stuck in the vehicle until emergency worker were able to get them out.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a couple of occupants of the bus were hurt in the crash. Their injuries were characterized as minor. The driver of the SUV did not fare as well and was taken to UPMC Mercy. The nature of the injuries the driver sustained is not known.

In many accidents such as this one there is a question as to what caused the accident to happen. As a result, it is not uncommon for accident reconstructionists to be brought in to help determine fault. In this situation, investigators will likely be assisted by video of the collision captured by a camera located in the headsign of the bus. The Port Authority police chief indicates that it could potentially provide information such as the speed the bus was travelling when the incident occurred.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Bus, car collide Uptown; three injured," Taryn Luna, May 7, 2012