The driver of a Mitsubishi Eclipse ran a red light and got hit by a bus in an intersection in Atlanta, Georgia. The baffling part is that the bus pushed the car for nearly half a kilometre before stopping.
At about 10:15 p.m. Saturday in Southwest Atlanta, a red Mitsubishi Eclipse ran a red light, as FOX 5 Atlanta reports. Immediately after, a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) bus plowed into the Eclipse. Videos posted to social media depict a harrowing scene.
Skid marks found on the scene show that the bus pushed the car nearly half a kilometre down the road. The videos show the bus continuing down the street as it if wasn’t dragging a car along with it.
The crash happened at the intersection of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Central Avenue SW. The bus, a Gillig BRT equipped with air brakes, entered the intersection from Central Avenue SW, a street with a 56 km/h speed limit.
Some are wondering why the bus went so far before stopping. Witnesses on the scene feared that it wasn’t going to stop at all.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that a bus or truck can take up to 600 feet to stop at highway speeds in ideal conditions. The bus appeared to have been travelling at a far lower speed and should have been able to come to a stop sooner than it did. It’s not known at this time why it didn’t.
A spokesperson for MARTA told local news that the operator of the bus wasn’t injured and did not lose consciousness. Thankfully, the bus wasn’t carrying any passengers at the time. The driver of the Mitsubishi Eclipse was taken to a local hospital and their condition is unknown.
MARTA’s police and safety units are investigating the incident.