A predawn bus ride on Harry Hines Boulevard turned chaotic Thursday morning when a DART bus dropped into a construction-related hole just before 6 a.m., sending more than 20 people scrambling for help and triggering a major emergency response.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said 15 people were taken to local hospitals, while six others, including the driver, were treated at the scene and declined transport. According to the agency, a metal plate covering active road work shifted, exposing a large hole that the bus fell into. Officials have not released details on the severity of the injuries and say the cause of the plate’s movement remains under investigation.
In a statement to FOX 4 Dallas‑Fort Worth, Dallas Fire‑Rescue laid out the basic sequence of events and confirmed the location in the 6300 block of Harry Hines Boulevard near Exchange Parkway. The station reported that the bus “ended up in the hole” after the covering plate shifted and exposed the opening.
Where It Happened
The stretch of Harry Hines where the crash occurred has been a long-running project area for multimodal improvements and streetscape upgrades, according to City of Dallas planning documents. City of Dallas Legistar records detail design and funding activity along Harry Hines Boulevard, though the city has not linked this specific incident to any particular contractor or agency.
What Riders Should Know
For now, DART riders are being urged to keep an eye on official service updates while the investigation plays out. The agency posts active alerts, detours and bus-bridge notices on its service alerts portal, and that is where any Harry Hines-related changes are expected to appear. DART's service alerts page is the primary hub for disruption and rerouting information.
Investigation and Next Steps
Dallas Fire‑Rescue and DART are continuing to investigate how the metal plate shifted and whether construction procedures at the site were followed, working alongside city transportation officials. FOX 4 reported that authorities had not yet determined what caused the movement of the plate and that updated information on the conditions of the injured passengers was not immediately available.
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