Early this morning, a SEPTA bus became the unintended centerpiece of a neighborhood disruption in Upper Darby after barreling into a utility pole and scattering wires across the intersection of Long Lane and Guilford Road. The bus, carrying not a single passenger, turned a quiet night into a scene of flickering darkness as it caused a transformer to blow, according to authorities.
The aftermath of the crash was a snarl of cable and phone lines littering the ground and a power outage that forced the hand of utility crews to cut electricity to the affected lines, as reported by NBC Philadelphia. It was around 4 a.m. when the crash was first noted, yet the reason behind this incident remained unclear until a SEPTA official disclosed the unforeseen catalyst.
In a narrative that unfolded like the most human of errors, the bus driver stepped away for a simple biological call – to use a restroom. This seemingly mundane act led to the untended vehicle taking its own path, as the driver admitted in an interview. "I had to use the bathroom really, really bad! And when I went into a business to use the bathroom, I forgot to put the bus in park," the driver reportedly told police, per the tale recounted by FOX 29's Steve Keeley.
SCOOP: @SEPTA bus driver got off the bus to relieve himself “to take a leak” & the SEPTA bus rolled away as soon as he walked off the bus, it then crashed into pole, taking power lines down, multiple law enforcement sources tell me. It was 4:30am, bus was not in service. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/qOGj39Ix8p
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) April 10, 2024
The consequence of this simple yet critical oversight was a bus on the loose, leading to its collision with an electrical fixture and severing a utility pole. No injuries were reported in the incident, as the bus was absent of passengers and the streets were largely desolate at that early hour, 6abc detailed.
