1 killed, 6 injured in crash involving Metro Transit bus in Minneapolis
UPDATE (Oct. 3, 2023): The victim killed in the crash has been identified. What follows is a revised version of the original story.
MINNEAPOLIS — One person is dead and six others are hurt after a crash involving a Metro Transit bus in Minneapolis Sunday night.
The crash happened just outside of Children's Minnesota hospital in south Minneapolis, at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and 25th Street East. Metro Transit police responded at about 11 p.m. after reports of a bus and a truck colliding.
Police say they don't believe the vehicle stopped at the intersection's stop sign immediately prior to the crash.
Metro Transit said one person died at the scene and six others were taken to a hospital for treatment. The bus involved in the crash was in service and most of the victims were believed to be passengers on board, according to officials.
The person who died at the scene was inside the truck, authorities said. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim Tuesday as 41-year-old Saleema Lee Ames, of Minneapolis.
The six others — all people who were on the bus — suffered injuries that weren't life-threatening.
"What we had here was a D line bus so these are buses that are up and down Chicago Avenue every 15 minutes most of the day and into the evening and a really popular bus route, probably our most popular bus route, so it's not surprising that there were people on board," Metro Transit spokesperson Drew Kerr said.
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The Minnesota State Patrol also responded to help reconstruct the crash. In all, at least three law enforcement agencies are working around the different jurisdictions, including Minneapolis Police and Metro Transit Police.
Chicago Avenue was closed for several hours, but as of 5:15 a.m., it has reopened.
This is the first fatal crash involving Metro Transit, which has a fleet of some 900 buses, in more than four years.