Chapel Hill Transit driver steps off bus before it crashes, sending person to hospital
A Chapel Hill Transit bus crashed Tuesday afternoon while the driver was not on board, sending one person to the hospital with injuries.
Chapel Hill police responded to the call around 2:48 p.m. Tuesday in the southbound lanes of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Umstead Drive. An investigation found that the bus driver got out of the bus near Bolinwood Drive, and the bus started rolling downhill, according to a news release.
The bus crashed into utility poles near a Chapel Hill Transit bus stop at 725 MLK Jr. Blvd., town spokesman Alex Carrasquillo said. The injured person was on the bus when it crashed and was taken to UNC Hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
He did not immediately have information about why the bus driver, who was shaken up but not hurt, got off the bus, he said.
The driver has been placed on leave while the crash is being investigated.
“We’re grateful no one was seriously hurt this afternoon,” Chapel Hill Transit Director Brian Litchfield said. “The safety of our customers our greatest responsibility. Now, we turn our attention to learning what led to this.”
This is second incident involving a Chapel Hill Transit bus in a week. On Dec. 10, the agency parked all 10 of its electric buses after one caught fire in transit headquarters parking lot off Millhouse Road. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
The story will be updated.
This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 5:52 PM.
