Several Muni bus passengers were injured Wednesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. after the bus collided with a pickup truck on Mission Street near 21st Street, outside of the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission Theater.
A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency supervisor on the scene said the truck made an “illegal maneuver” — seemingly a U-turn — and that five to six passengers inside the bus were injured. No other people were injured.
Arturo Hernandez, a barista at nearby Grand Coffee, was working when he heard a “low vibration,” which he thought might have been the bus braking, and a sustained horn coming from the bus. When he looked outside, the truck was nearly perpendicular to the direction of traffic and the two vehicles had collided.
Traffic slowed to a crawl on Mission Street north of 21st Street as police and fire crews came to the scene and officers diverted traffic around the incident. Passengers inside the bus were evacuated and at least one passenger, after speaking with first responders, agreed to go to the hospital.
Another was seen sitting along the curb holding an ice pack to their knee. Fire crews offered to take that person to the hospital, but they declined and asked for ibuprofen instead, which was provided.
Mission Street has dedicated bus lanes. The truck was apparently struck while moving out of the bus lane, while the bus was in the left lane.
A group of five people, all of whom declined to speak with Mission Local, could be seen interacting with officers and coordinating an effort to move the truck. A police officer appeared to issue one of them a citation.
Traffic cleared around 6 p.m.
Why wasn’t the bus in the bus lane?
Probably because this dingus was in the bus lane. People love to park in the bus lane in this part of the Mission.
MUNI has excellent drivers, period. full stop.
I’m told that U-turns across double yellow lines are perfectly legal as long as you are looking for parking.