A bus accident in Lancaster on Wednesday morning has left as many as 20 people injured after a city bus overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol. The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. at the railroad crossing near Sierra Highway and West Avenue C, as FOX LA reported. One young boy, an 8-year-old, was critically injured and airlifted to a nearby hospital, although later reports indicated that he was in stable condition.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was among the first responders to the scene. They received calls around 11:17 a.m. about the crash involving a bus near Sierra Highway and Avenue C. In a bid to quickly provide assistance, multiple ambulances and a medical helicopter were requested to transport the injured, including the helicopter for the young boy, an LA County Fire Department statement noted in ABC7's report.
The overturned bus, identified as part of Kern Transit which services areas including Greater Bakersfield and parts of the Antelope Valley, was observed by Sky5 footage off of the roadway on its side near the set of tracks that run parallel to Sierra Highway, KTLA states. The exact circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation as per the California Highway Patrol.
Video footage captured from the accident site showed the bus on its side next to the railroad tracks. The crash not only resulted in injuries but also damaged the railroad tracks. This prompted the city of Lancaster to notify Union Pacific and Metrolink, which both utilize the tracks, as per a report by NBC Los Angeles. During the ongoing investigation, the California Highway Patrol said that it is going to temporarily shut down both directions of Sierra Highway.
Details on what led up to the crash haven't been made available yet, and the statuses of the additional patients are still being assessed beyond the initial reports. The authorities are continuing their investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident, and further information is expected to be provided as it becomes available, according to CBS News Los Angeles.
