Man Struck By Port Authority Bus Downtown, Hospitalized
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Police shut down part of Liberty Avenue downtown during rush hour on Tuesday after a Port Authority bus hit a man who was crossing the street.
Witnesses told KDKA the bus had a green light.
The witnesses said the female bus driver may not have been able to see the man as he was crossing the street because there was a second bus waiting in the curb lane to turn right on Sixth Avenue.
#BREAKING - Ambulance pulling away from the accident scene. More coming up on @CBSPittsburgh! pic.twitter.com/lgMbHWtHZ2
— Julie Grant (@JulieGrantEsq) November 14, 2017
According to witnesses, it was after the bus drove around the turning bus that it hit the man who was trying to cross the street. It was almost 6 p.m., at peak rush hour, when the accident happened.
"The back of his head hit the ground. I saw him go flying, went flying in the air and just went straight to the ground," said witness Andy Neil.
Another witness said the impact was so loud it sounded like the bus hit another vehicle.
"You could hear it more than you could see it. But you could see him hit and then fall backwards. More like the corner of the bus hit him because it looked like she tried to get past him," said Sheila Rudolph, another witness.
Police taped off the intersection of Liberty and Sixth, diverting traffic up Fifth Avenue as accident investigators were taking measurements and interviewing witnesses.
"The bus stopped immediately. She couldn't see the guy. I mean, the guy came out right from behind another bus," said Rudolph.
#BREAKING - Police are shutting down Liberty & Sixth after an accident witnesses say involved a PAT bus & a pedestrian. @CBSPittsburgh pic.twitter.com/cThIoB21Co
— Julie Grant (@JulieGrantEsq) November 14, 2017
"The bus had the right of way because the bus had the green light. So, he walked against the light," said Neil.
Port Authority Police will officially determine who was at fault.
"At this time, the investigation is ongoing and we're trying to determine the exact cause of the collision," said Lt. Jason Haberman, of the Port Authority Police Department.
Because of the time it happened, there were several people who told police what they saw. Police said the man who was hit is in his 50s and was taken by ambulance to UPMC Mercy Hospital for treatment. Our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report he is listed in critical condition.
