TIMES SQ. SMASH
14 hurt as tour buses collide
Two doubledecker tour buses collided in a packed Times Square on Tuesday afternoon, injuring 14 people and shooting shards of glass and metal at terrified tourists.
“It was like a bomb went off, an explosion,” a witness said. “It was terrible. I saw all these people who were injured,”
The horrific scene unfolded after a Gray Line bus smashed into a CitySights NY doubledecker at 3:22 p.m. near West 47th Street and Seventh Avenue before knocking over a massive light pole that toppled onto bystanders, officials said. Neither of the buses had passengers at the time.
Eleven pedestrians and three bus workers were injured. Three suffered serious injuries, but all were expected to survive, offi cials said. One of those injured was a 3yearold girl, according to hospital officials.
One tour guide had to be removed from a bus by emergency responders after his head was caught under the dashboard, an FDNY spokesman said.
The light pole came crashing down on unsuspecting Times Square gawkers and nearly crushed a baby in a stroller, according to another shaken witness.
“The pole came down on the baby carriage,” said Justin Adams, 29. “It crushed the baby carriage. I’m just glad the baby didn’t get hurt.”
Adams said others weren’t so lucky — having been knocked to the ground by the metal tower.
“There’s blood everywhere over there,” he said.
The brakes on the Gray Line bus gave out after the collision and it hurtled over the curb and into the pole, sources said. That bus eventually came to a rest next to the electronic TKTS board showing ticket availability for Broadway productions.
“The Gray Line bus was driving very, very fast,” said James Stephens, a ticket seller.
“He hit that streetlight, and it came crashing down, and people scattered — they got out of the way,” Stephens added. “It literally came down like a stick.”
Ticket sales continued despite the carnage that unfolded about 15 feet away from boxoffice windows as bystanders rushed to help the injured.
“The pole almost hit me,” said shaken security guard Gregory McCree, 36. “I heard a lot of people screaming. The pole came crashing to the floor, about 7 feet from my head.”