A school bus and a car collided in the early morning hours near 35th and Center Streets in Milwaukee, sending the bus crashing into a parked, marked police squad car and leaving four people hospitalized, including two officers.
The crash happened around 4:43 a.m. Tuesday, according to WTMJ. A vehicle traveling west on Center Street collided with the school bus, which was heading south on 35th Street, in the intersection. The impact then sent the bus careening into the squad car, which was parked on Center Street with its emergency lights activated at the time.
Traffic Signal Malfunction Under Investigation
Milwaukee police told the outlet that the traffic lights at the intersection were not working at the time of the crash, and that the malfunction was believed to have been caused by vandalism. It is not clear from available information how long the signal had been out or whether repairs were underway before the collision.
Milwaukee police are investigating the crash, per the same report, though further details on the investigation's status have not been released.
What City Crash Records Can Show
The City of Milwaukee’s Traffic Crash Data dataset includes crash case numbers, dates and locations. The city says reportable crash reports can take up to 10 business days to appear; the dataset information does not establish when this signal failed or was restored.
Four People Hospitalized, Two Others Escaped Injury
Two Milwaukee police officers were among those hurt: a 29-year-old officer and a 32-year-old officer were both hospitalized following the crash. A 62-year-old driver of the other vehicle involved was also hospitalized with minor injuries, as was a 48-year-old passenger who had been riding on the bus.
Not everyone aboard the bus was hurt. The 69-year-old bus driver was not injured, and another passenger on the bus also escaped without injury. No additional injuries beyond the four hospitalized were reported.
All four people who were hurt were taken to the hospital, according to the report. Further updates on their conditions were not immediately available.
