Bus Collides With Pickup Truck, Crashes Into Building
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LITTLE HAITI (CBSMiami) - A building in Little Haiti remains compromised after a Miami-Dade transit bus slammed into it following a collision with a pickup truck off NW 2nd Avenue and 54th St.
"We understand that the bus was traveling northbound on NW 2nd Ave. and it collided with this pickup truck," said Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll.
"The bus tried to maneuver but it was too late and it didn't have time to stop," said Stenney Joseph, who works nearby.
Witnesses said the pickup truck ran a red light, crashing into the bus and causing it to slam into the Omega Fashion store. The impact took out one column and severely damaged another. A man who works nearby said he ran to help the people on the bus.
"We tried too open the front door but it was jam locked. We did another attempt at the back door. After 3-4 minutes, we finally pried it open. We made sure all the passengers got out safe and sound and I went to aid the bus driver," said Joseph.
Rescue units transported eight people inside the bus, including the bus driver, to the hospital. The two people inside the pickup truck were rushed to Ryder Trauma Center.
"Inside the pickup truck they had a male and female possibly in their mid 60s that sustained some pretty serious injuries, one possibly ejected from the truck," said Capt. Carroll.
At the scene special crews built a support column to secure the building until experts could asses the removal process Monday. People in the area noted how much worse things could have been had the business been open or if people would have been in the path of the crash.
"Normally people use that for shade," said Joseph. "They wait there for the bus. They don't stand at the bus stop. There could have been kids there. People could have gotten injured. Death could have happened. Thank God nothing worse happened."
Rescue crews say the people on the bus received minor injuries and are expected to be OK. There's no word on the condition of the two people inside the pickup truck.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.