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Only on KIRO 7: On-board video of out of control Seattle bus crash

SEATTLE — A terrifying look at the moment a Sound Transit bus sped out of control on a downtown Seattle street and slammed into a building on June 22.

Fifteen people on the bus were hurt during the crash, and the bus driver suffered a broken hip.

Initial details revealed the bus brakes failed, but Sound Transit has told KIRO 7 that the investigation into the cause could still take weeks to complete.

The video shows the driver and the passengers knew something was wrong, and they barely had time to brace for impact.

Two videos, one from the front of the bus and one from inside the bus, were released to KIRO 7 on Wednesday.

The driver’s view shows the bus making a right turn onto 5th Avenue. Right away, the driver starts to turn the wheel. The bus begins to sway to avoid hitting anything or anyone, including pedestrians.

The driver blows through a red light, steers to avoid cars, swerves across all lanes, takes out a tree, hits a set of stairs, and slams into the building.

The second video shows passengers, and nothing initially appears to be wrong.

But as the bus picks up speed and begins to veer, they realize it is careening out of control.

They barely have time to brace against the handrails when the violent impact sends them flying into each other and the aisle.

The incident quickly turned into a triage scene, where a lot of passengers were hurt.

KIRO 7 also received photos of the aftermath, showing the bus mangled from the impact.

A 54-year-old man was treated at Harborview Medical Center for severe injuries.

The bus driver, who was a Metro Transit bus driver contracted for that Sound Transit route, took a drug test and was shown not to be impaired.


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