4 Passengers Injured as RTD Bus Hits Scaffolding in N. Hollywood

Four people were injured Tuesday when a Rapid Transit District bus they were riding struck some construction scaffolding at a North Hollywood intersection, authorities said.

Two men whose names were not released were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank soon after the accident occurred about 9 a.m. at the corner of Chandler and Lankershim boulevards, said John Hyde, an RTD spokesman.

Two other men, also not identified, were taken to North Hollywood Medical Center, he said.

All four suffered minor injuries and were treated and released, officials at both hospitals said.

The RTD bus was traveling east on Chandler when it turned right onto Lankershim and hit the scaffolding, breaking several of the bus’s windows and causing other minor damage, Hyde said. No pedestrians were injured, and no one was on the scaffolding at the time of the accident, he said.

It was not clear whether the scaffolding was in the street or on the sidewalk at the time, Hyde said. Authorities had not determined who owned the scaffolding.

Hyde said the bus, carrying 40 passengers, was bound for downtown Los Angeles from Panorama City.

He said the driver of the bus, Arthur M. Reyes, was not cited in the accident. However, Hyde said Reyes would undergo drug and alcohol tests as a matter of company policy.

“Anytime there is an accident involving an RTD bus in which an individual is injured and the damage exceeds $1,000, we are authorized to screen for drugs and alcohol,” he said.

The accident is under investigation.