A Sound Transit bus crashed on Bellevue Way on Sept. 16 after the driver lost consciousness, sending the bus up onto a curb and into an apartment building, according to officials.
“There was significant damage to the bus but luckily no passengers or pedestrians were injured. The driver was the only patient and was transported to Overlake Hospital for precautionary reasons only,” according to Bellevue Fire spokesperson Ryan Armstrong.
The driver was taken to the hospital to be evaluated after suffering non-life threatening injuries. None of the dozens of passengers onboard at the time were injured, nor were any bystanders located in the LensCrafters or other businesses that occupy the ground floor of the apartment building.
Some customers were briefly trapped inside of the LensCrafter, including Frankie Espinoza, who tweeted “We’re stuck at the LensCrafters (in) Bellevue!! A @SoundTransit 550 bus hit the building we’re in!” along with a photo of the bus blocking the store’s entrance.
The crash caused the closure of Bellevue Way from Main to N.E. 4th St., which is now reopen.
It is unknown at this time what caused the driver to lose consciousness.
