Brothers Hurt, 1 Critically, in Collision With Bus

A teenage driver was seriously hurt and his 10-year-old brother critically injured Wednesday when an MTA bus hit their Ford Explorer in Burbank, authorities said.

A witness told police that the Explorer, traveling north on Buena Vista Street, ran a red light at Empire Avenue, said Burbank Police Lt. Bob Giles. A bus westbound on Empire slammed into the passenger side of the sport utility vehicle, driving it into a pole supporting a traffic signal.

“When it was all said and done, I don’t think the Ford Explorer was more than three feet wide,” said Battalion Chief Tracy Pansini of the Burbank Fire Department. “It took severe trauma to the body, right in the center where the passengers were.”

Nine people on the bus, including the driver, suffered minor injuries in the 3:05 p.m. crash and were taken to hospitals, said Jose Ubaldo, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman. Carrying 25 passengers, the Line 94 bus was heading to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar.

Police have not yet confirmed whether the Explorer ran a red light, said Sgt. Rick Madrid. There was no indication that alcohol was involved in the crash, he said.

The Explorer’s 16-year-old driver, who suffered a broken leg, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

The 10-year-old boy was at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles with multiple pelvic fractures, a broken rib, a ruptured bladder and lung contusions, said hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge.

Authorities declined to release the victims’ names because family members had not yet been notified. Burbank police are asking anyone who saw the accident to call Det. Jeff Campbell at (818) 238-3100.