Chaos erupted in Exposition Park Tuesday when a Metro Rail train slammed into a University of Southern California (USC) shuttle bus, resulting in a flurry of emergency activity as responders rushed to aid the injured. The crash, taking place on Exposition Boulevard near Vermont Avenue, left two people in serious condition and transported 16 others to hospitals with milder injuries, the Los Angeles Fire Department reports.
It was a rush against time, as firefighters and paramedics were seen assisting approximately 150 disoriented passengers off the train by 11:54 a.m., Tuesday morning. The LAFD, brought face-to-face with the toll of the collision, tirelessly evaluated and treated at least 55 people. "We have a total of 18 transported -- 16 from the train and two from the shuttle,” said Cpt. Adam VanGerpen of the LAFD, in an incident that pinned the steel giants against one another.
From within the chaotic aftermath, personal accounts of the collision painted a stark picture. "That was tragic," one unnamed female passenger recounted while sitting in an ambulance, according to a NBC Los Angeles interview, "I got thrown from my chair to the other chair, so my whole left side is sore."
Triage areas buzzed with activity as they processed the "walking wounded," LAFD Capt. Adam Van Gerpen told KABC. These victims, though dazed, were fortunate enough to walk away from the battered train, with at least 37 treated and subsequently released at the scene. Meanwhile, the LA Police Department remained deep in the throes of investigating the cause of the crash, as commuters' journeys were disrupted, and the usual pace of city life was momentarily upended.
The unfortunate event triggered an alert from USC, warning students and staff that Exposition Boulevard was to remain closed in both directions between Figueroa Street and Bill Robertson Lane – a crucial arterial now clogged by the remnants of the midday calamity. As the investigation unfolded, Metro expressed its sympathies to those affected and confirmed the shuttle bus seemed to veer into the path of the train, as stated in their press release.
In response to the disruption, a bus bridge was established to navigate Metro passengers around the impasse, with single tracking implemented between the 23rd St. Station and Vermont Station. The damaged train and bus were left as lingering scars on Exposition Boulevard, the effects of which will ripple through the coming days as both the city and its inhabitants attempt to regain their rhythm and composure.
