Metro Light Rail Train and Shuttle Bus Collide in Downtown LA

At least 55 individuals sustained injuries, two of them serious, following a collision between a Metro light rail train and a University of Southern California (USC) shuttle bus on Tuesday, occurring along Exposition Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.

Timing and Location:

The LA Fire Department reported that the crash occurred shortly before noon near the USC campus and the Natural History Museum.

Two victims with serious injuries were hospitalized, with an additional 16 transported in fair condition, while 37 individuals received on-site treatment, according to the fire department’s statement.

Sequence of Events:

Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for LA Metro, disclosed that the bus veered into the path of an E Line train. The train traverses from East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica, predominantly along streets without gated crossings.

Genesis Hernandez, a 19-year-old student transferring from a Metro bus to catch the E Line to Santa Monica, witnessed the commotion from the Expo/Vermont Metro station platform.

She described seeing a fleet of ambulances pass by and noted significant damage to the front end of the bus, contrasting with relatively minor damage to the train.

Vehicle Damage and Occupancy:

Television footage depicted the left side of the bus severely impacted against the train’s first car, with the bus’s front section sustaining substantial damage.

The USC Transportation Department revealed that the 40-passenger bus, carrying only the driver and one passenger, was traveling westbound on Exposition Boulevard at the time of the collision.