SEATTLE — A pedestrian is dead and the driver of another vehicle is in critical condition after a King County Metro bus crashed into a building in Seattle's Belltown area on Saturday afternoon, according to first responders.
The Seattle Fire Department responded to reports of a vehicle collision with a bus, with the bus then crashing into the building, at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Battery Street around 3:40 p.m. Seattle Fire Crews extricated the trapped driver, a 31-year-old man, from the vehicle involved in the crash.
Seattle police say the man was driving a red sedan southbound on 5th Avenue when he collided with a bus traveling eastbound on Battery Street. The collision forced the bus off the roadway, where it struck and killed a woman on the sidewalk, according to police.
Eleven people who were passengers on the bus are in stable condition, and eight of those people were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The driver of the sedan is in critical condition, according to Seattle Fire.
“You can see the human suffering around it because there’s screaming and obviously someone who was really injured at least in the car," said Mike Fulop, who lives near where the crash happened. "The emergency services came really fast and I saw them using the jaws of life."
Firefighters confirmed there was no one was inside the impacted portion of the building at the time of the crash.
“This corner always seems to have a car crash of some sort. People just have to pay attention and be more aware of their surroundings,” Fulop said.
A drug recognition expert from the police department will evaluate the driver of the sedan for any signs of impairment, police said. Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation unit are looking into the incident.
“This tragic incident involving a vehicle and one of our buses is heartbreaking," King County Metro said in a statement. "Our primary concern is with the loss of life and the health of those who were injured."
King County Metro stated it could not offer further details at this point in the investigation, but is working with first responders and "offering our support to our community members, employees and riders.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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