MTA bus slams into elevated subway pillar

An MTA driver suffered a medical episode as her bus crashed Thursday morning into a pillar supporting a Bronx subway line, police said.

Surveillance video of the crash shows the bus careen out of its lane on an uphill curve and slam into a support pillar for the Nos. 2 and 5 lines on Boston Road near West Farms Road in Allerton. The bus’s wheels appeared to continue to spin after the driver crashed into the pillar, the video shows.

The bus driver, a 44-year-old woman, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical but stable condition.

The 12 passengers on the bus were hurt, but authorities said their injuries were not life threatening. A young girl was among those reported injured.

“There was a girl, about five or six,” said a passerby, Jesus Pacheco, 64. “The mom put her in the ambulance.”

The front windshield of the bus was smashed and its front bumper was wrapped around the subway pillar.

“I do take the bus every day, but this is why I don’t like public transportation,” said local mom Erika Estrella, 28. “They do seem safe, but you never know. We literally take it every day, even to the pool.”

Authorities said surveillance video from the crash show the driver suffered cardiac arrest moments before the bus crashed.

“This is a tough day for the transit family,” said TWU Local 100 Secretary Richard Davis. “We understand she’s in serious condition.”

Davis said the driver’s sister is also a bus operator and was pulled from her route and taken to the hospital to be with family.

The driver is a 14-year veteran with a good record. She passed a bi-annual physical six months ago, said Richard Davey, head of NYC Transit.

The crash did not affect the structural integrity of the pillar, Davey said.