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Port Authority Bus Crashes Into Cannon In Brookline

BROOKLINE (KDKA) -- A Port Authority bus crashed into a cannon at a Brookline war memorial Saturday afternoon, causing a big mess.

It happened just after 2 p.m.

People in Brookline could not believe what they were seeing. A World War I cannon lodged in the side of a Port Authority bus after a bizarre accident.

Witnesses say the bus had just turned onto Brookline Boulevard when, for unknown reasons, the driver could not straighten out the wheels.

"I saw her, like, panic, because the wheel wouldn't come back," passenger Larry Cooper said. "If you look at the tires, they're still locked."

Watch surveillance footage of the accident from Yue Zhen Qin at Tong Garden --

 

As a result, the bus made a sharp left turn, heading straight for the back end of Matt Burgess's car parked near the monument.

"Next thing you know, she hit me, I hit that car, the bus went through the gate, took the cannon out," Burgess said.

Burgess says his wife and two children were in the car. No one was hurt.

Richard Sovchen had just parked his car. It was damaged by the collision.

"It was like watching a bad movie," he said.

Four passengers were riding on the bus as it crashed into a wrought-iron fence and hit the cannon. Albert Theobald was two seats away from where the cannon came through the bus.

"As soon as I saw it come through, I was like, 'Is this the end?'" Theobald said.

port-authority-bus-cannon
(Photo Credit: Tim Lawson/KDKA)

The drama didn't end there. The bus was still moving after it crashed into the monument and began dragging the cannon.

It came out on the street on the other side and headed straight for several people sitting on some concrete steps.

"I said, 'I gotta get out of here,'" witness Rich Stasny said. "I cheated death by five seconds. Two seconds."

KDKA's Christine D'Antonio Reports --

People watched in amazement as the cannon was removed from the bus. It had been sitting at the memorial to all veterans for 80 years.

Port Authority officials say an individual who was in one of the cars the bus hit suffered minor injuries. He was able to drive himself to the hospital to be checked out.

Port Authority is investigating the cause of the accident.

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