Back on November 9 last year, a bus loaded with 20 people crashed into a traffic light and then a concrete barrier protecting the U.S. District Court building in Springfield, Massachusetts. Now, video of the incident has been released showing the bus wrecking its way down the street as the driver helplessly chases after it.
Here’s the video from The Republican via MassLive.com:
According to The Republican, the driver claimed the bus became immobilized and that he had been instructed by supervisors to get out and unplug the battery to reset the bus. The driver seems to have failed to engage the parking brake, so when the battery was disconnected, the electrically powered interlock brakes disengaged and sent the bus rolling down the hill.
Fortunately, none of the passengers on the bus, nor anyone on the street were seriously injured in the crash. Two passengers were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
There’s essentially a full tutorial on how to be a bus driver over on MassLive.com if you’re interested, but basically, officials with the company that manufactures the buses claims the battery should never be disconnected, especially by the driver, and particularly when the parking brake has not been engaged. A bus is not something you can simply reboot.