MTA Bus Removed From Brooklyn Brownstone 4 Days After Crash; Many Feared Building Would Collapse
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An MTA bus that crashed into a Brooklyn brownstone Monday and had been lodged inside the building since was finally moved Friday.
A lot of work had to be done beforehand to prevent the building from potentially collapsing when the bus was moved, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported.
The MTA brought in a large truck to slowly pull the bus from the Lincoln Road brownstone. Cheers erupted from a crowd that gathered to watch.
"It's not every day you see a bus in a house, and then also some of us are interested in, sort of, the technical part of it. How are they gonna get this bus out of this house without it collapsing?" said Susan Hemley, who lives near the brownstone.
"Quite a scene. I can't help but think most people are here because they want to see if the building falls down," said Jordan Thompson, another neighbor.
"My heart was beating so fast. I didn't know. I was like, oh my gosh, I hope the building doesn't come down," neighbor Jillian Thompson said.
She spent all day at the corner, waiting for the operation that was four days in the making.
"Just waiting for them to take the bus out. It took really long, honestly," she said.
Watch Jenna DeAngelis' report --
The Department of Buildings said contractors installed shoring beforehand to prevent a complete collapse of the front of the building. Piles of rubble and a broken bus mirror were left inside the gaping hole after the bus was removed.
People got close to the bus to see the damage. The front was crushed and the windshield shattered.
"It's a bizarre attraction for the block," a neighbor said.
"It's the doctor's office, and he was in there," neighbor Cindy Keiter told CBS2's Jessica Moore.
It followed a chaotic scene that was captured on a camera inside the bus Monday afternoon. The driver appeared to lose control and veer into oncoming traffic before slamming into the landmark historic building housing a doctor's office.
The union representing the driver said the 13-year veteran, who has an exemplary record, got up to change the bus's run number. But the bus lunged forward when he sat back down and released the emergency brake.
"He was attempting to stop the bus and it wouldn't stop," JP Patafio of TWU Local 100 told CBS2. "We have to look at the design of the interior of the bus and we have to make sure there's no mechanical issues."
The MTA described the surveillance video as "disturbing" and said it, "raises questions about whether basic safety rules were followed."
The agency said Monday no apparent mechanical issues were found.
The investigation into what caused the crash continues.
Sixteen people, including the driver, were hurt in the crash, but all are expected to be OK.
"He's lucky to be alive after you see the front of the bus and the house," said Pamela Yard, of Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
"It's a miracle, to be honest," said Malcom Shaw.
The next step is figuring out if the brownstone can be repaired.
A message at the doctor's office now tells patients they have no idea when the facility will be allowed to reopen.
The Department of Buildings told CBS2 there was no additional damage done to the building or neighboring properties caused by removing the bus.
CBS2's Jessica Moore contributed to this report.
