47 Hurt, 1 Critically, in Collision Between Bus, Postal Truck

At least 47 people were injured, one critically, early Friday evening when an RTD bus and a U.S. Postal Service truck collided at a downtown Skid Row intersection.

Both vehicles careened through a fire hydrant and a chain-link fence and struck several parked cars at Gladys Avenue and 5th Street.

As the broken hydrant shot water 20 feet into the air, 34 people were taken to local hospitals.

The injured included a woman and her 4-year-old son who had been thrown from the bus. The unidentified 25-year-old woman, who is six months pregnant, and her son were standing near the front of the bus when the collision occurred, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Tony DiDomenico said. The woman was reported in stable condition at White Memorial Hospital, and her son was listed as critical.

Six other people sustained moderate injuries. The rest of the injuries, DiDomenico said, “ran the gamut--bruises, bumps, hurt arms, hurt knees, hurt heads, lacerations, shock victims.”

Neither driver required hospitalization.

The bus was en route from California State University, Dominguez Hills, to downtown Los Angeles with about 60 passengers, RTD spokesman Jim Smart said.

RTD Supervisor Jim Thill said “several passengers told me that the (postal) truck ran a stop sign” on Gladys, then struck the bus at 5th Street.

Charley Overstreet Jr., a vehicle operations analyst for the U.S. Postal Service, said he could not comment on the cause of the crash until an investigation had been completed.