2 Brothers Hurt When Bus Slams Into SUV

A teenage driver was seriously hurt and his 10-year-old brother critically injured Wednesday afternoon when their Ford Explorer collided with an MTA bus, authorities said. Nine people on the bus were slightly injured.

A witness told police that the maroon Explorer, traveling north on Buena Vista Street, ran a red light at the Empire Avenue intersection, said Lt. Bob Giles of the Burbank Police Department. A westbound bus 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 local 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.

Burbank police identified the bus driver as Nehemias Nelson, 41. They said the two brothers in the Explorer were from Sun Valley.

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 was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was listed in serious condition with a broken leg, said nurse supervisor Karen Klein.

The 10-year-old boy was listed in critical condition at Childrens Hospital in 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 investigating the accident, asking anyone who saw it to call Det. Jeff Campbell at (818) 238-3100.

The force of the impact toppled the traffic signal and sheared off a fire hydrant at its base. Firefighters said that when they arrived at the scene, water was spurting from the severed hydrant and live electrical wires were dangling from the broken light signal.