Bus Driver Loses Control, Hits 19 Oncoming Cars

A runaway commuter bus jumped a center divider and plowed into 19 oncoming vehicles, injuring 14 people, two of them critically, during Wednesday morning’s rush hour, authorities said.

The driver, who had no passengers, regained control about a half-mile from where the bus jumped the divider on Western Avenue at 7:48 a.m., said Lt. Mike Grimaldi of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“She was trying to pull into a bus turnout and she had no brakes,” Grimaldi said. “Some mechanical pieces of the bus were found on the pavement where she lost control.”

The two most seriously injured motorists had to be pried out of their cars. The driver, whose name wasn’t released, was hospitalized with minor injuries.