Six-vehicle crash injures 10

Bus, police car involved

Shattered glass, car doors and debris covered Poplar Avenue between Scott and Union Extended on Friday afternoon after a six-vehicle accident involving a Memphis police car and a Memphis Area Transit Authority bus caused police to block all six lanes.

The crash occurred at 3:05 p.m., according to MATA public information officer Alison Burton. Ten people were transported to five area hospitals, according to Wayne Cooke, spokesman for the Memphis Fire Department.

A burgundy Honda Civic heading east on Poplar started the crash by striking a police cruiser that was traveling west, according to Sgt. Karen Rudolph, spokeswoman for the Memphis Police Department. The police vehicle then hit another vehicle, causing a chain reaction that included a MATA bus.

The officer was not injured, Rudolph said, but the driver of the Honda was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition.

The roof and two driver-side doors were missing from the Honda, and the dashboard also had to be removed to free the driver.

The driver of the bus, Charlene Washington, reported a knee injury but was not transported from the scene.

Resting on the curb just inches from the bridge’s guardrail, the bus was reported to still be in working order but was towed away by a MATA wrecker.

NIKKI BOERTMAN/ THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Emergency personnel respond to a six-vehicle crash, including a MATA bus and Memphis Police car, on Friday on Poplar near Collins. Ten were taken to hospitals.