CTA Bus Driver Passes Out, Crashes Into 20 Parked Cars
CHICAGO (CBS) --Many people were counting their blessings Friday after a CTA bus plowed into parked cars and a laundry.
As CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, the CTA says the bus driver passed out at the wheel before the accident, which occurred before 9 a.m. in the 2800 block of North Kedzie Avenue. Cars ended up piled on top of cars like toys.
"We've never seen anything like this," said Ariel Gonzalez of Red Line Towing, who estimated the damage at more than $250,000.
That was just the cars. A Laundromat also was damaged, its sign almost taken down.
Edwin Torres, who lives nearby, heard the crash and ran to his window.
"It was like chaos everywhere. All these cars were waiting for the lights, and then everybody was out checking to see if everybody was OK, if anybody got hurt," he said.
Owners of the cars also rushed out to see what happened. Marie Williams was counting her blessings.
"I'm just more grateful for my life. A car you can always get back," she said.
She and others say they were more concerned about the bus driver.
"They had him with oxygen on him," Torres said.
According to the CTA, only the driver and one passenger on the bus were injured. The CTA says the driver was hospitalized in stable condition.
They didn't immediately know the condition of the injured passenger.
