UC Berkeley Shuttle Bus Strikes 2 Pedestrians In Crosswalk
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- Two female pedestrians were injured Monday afternoon in Berkeley when one of the women was struck in a crosswalk by a University of California shuttle bus and the other injured herself trying to gain the bus driver's attention, police officials said.
The women, who knew one another, were walking together in a crosswalk at the intersection of Center Street and Shattuck Avenue when one of the women was struck and run over by the bus, Berkeley police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said.
The other woman injured herself when she then banged on the bus with her hands to gain the driver's attention, Kusmiss said.
The bus, which is operated by the University of California and runs between the campus and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, had been traveling westbound on Center Street and was making a right turn onto northbound Shattuck Avenue, Kusmiss said.
She said the women were walking west in the north crosswalk at the intersection.
Calls began pouring into Berkeley police around 4:30 p.m. reporting the crash, Kusmiss said.
A large crowd formed around the collision site as Berkeley firefighters worked to extricate the woman from beneath the bus, Kusmiss said.
Once freed, the 54-year-old woman who had been struck was transported to a local trauma center with serious injuries to her lower extremities, Kusmiss said.
She said those injuries, including serious open fractures, will require surgery and hospitalization but that the woman is expected to survive.
The other woman was treated on the scene and released.
Campus police declined to comment on the incident citing the Berkeley Police Department's lead role in the ongoing investigation.
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