6 Injured, 3 Critically After Van Slams Into Minneapolis Bus Shelter
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Six people were injured Tuesday morning -- including three critically -- after a Ford conversion van slammed into a Metro Transit bus shelter in north Minneapolis.
Metro Transit spokesperson Howie Padilla says the crash happened around 9:20 a.m. near the intersection of West Broadway and Lyndale avenues.
Emergency crews brought six people, who were in or near the shelter at the time of the crash, to North Memorial Medical Center and other area hospitals.
"They was injured bad. One of them had a hole in the head," witness Darnell Love Jackson said.
Jackson was sitting on the bench at the intersection when the driver of the van plowed squarely into the crowded bus shelter. Jackson's injuries are minor, but the other five weren't so lucky. Authorities said three of the people injured were listed in critical condition.
Padilla says the crash happened after the van struck the mirror of a Metro Transit bus twice and veered off onto Broadway Avenue. Others say the driver was cruising the block slowly and may have been the target of petty crime moments before.
"They took his wallet. That's what I heard," Jackson said. "They took the man's wallet and they reached into the car and took it. Then he got upset."
Another witness told us the van appeared to be on top of the legs of the men. Members of a nearby church heard the crash and ran to help.
One called it a "traumatic event impacting a very fragile group of people who congregate at that bus stop for a sense of community."
Investigators hope surveillance cameras captured enough to help piece together what happened
"We do have video that we hope will be able to tell some of that story," said Metro Transit Spokesperson Howie Padilla.
Metro Transit is still investigating how and why this happened. Padilla says the driver of the van cooperated with police. He was allowed to go home pending further investigation.
VIDEO: Footage From The Scene, Press Conference With Metro Transit Spokesperson
