A 52-year-old New York City woman was critically injured on the evening of Oct. 26 when she was struck by a Bee-Line bus as she crossed the street near Lehman College. The Bronx County resident, who has not been identified, was rushed to a nearby trauma center by paramedics with what were described as life-threatening injuries. Bee-Line buses are operated by the Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation.
The bus accident took place in northern Bronx County at approximately 8:05 p.m. Eyewitnesses told responding police officers that the woman was struck by a bus that made a left turn from Paul Avenue onto Bedford Park Boulevard West. Police say the woman suffered catastrophic injuries after becoming trapped underneath the bus.
Emergency services workers say they arrived at the scene to find the badly injured woman conscious. She suffered traumatic injuries to her head and torso according to media reports. The bus driver remained at the scene to help police with their investigation. Bee-Line buses carry about 27 million passengers every year between locations in Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan. However, initial reports do not reveal if the bus that struck the woman was carrying any passengers at the time of the accident.
Determining who was to blame for causing an accident in an intersection often involves figuring out which party had the right of way at the time. Most busy intersections in New York City are equipped with traffic signal cameras that are designed to identify red-light runners, and experienced personal injury attorneys might use the images captured by these cameras to prove that pedestrians were struck by cars that either jumped green lights or ran red lights. Police reports, accident investigations and statements provided by eyewitnesses may also be used to establish negligence and liability in court.