It happened Sunday just after 7:15 p.m. on East 180th Street and Crotona Parkway. Police say the black minivan with TLC plates rear-ended the MTA bus, then the bus struck a four-door Nissan sedan. The minivan then caught on fire.
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Because the street was so full of people hanging out on a warm Sunday night, there were lots of people around to help the driver of the minivan, including the driver's family. Neighbors say he drives a car service for seniors and people with disabilities and lives nearby. He did not have any passengers in the vehicle, but his own family members and friends came out to help and indicated that he may have had a seizure because he has a history of them. They also say he lost control of the car about five blocks away, and could not stop.
"Everybody thought he was dead, but he wasn't. But thank God everybody was outside at the same time to get him out of that car. If that car was on fire, he would have been blown up or something. They said he came down from right there -- from Family Dollar. That's like five blocks. And you hit a car that hard, you see how the car was. All I saw was the car and smoke and everybody around the car," said Jeremy Smith.
The minivan driver was badly hurt. A few people on the bus were treated for less serious injuries. Three people in a sedan that the bus bumped into as a result also had minor injuries like neck pain.
Police have not confirmed that the driver had any kind of medical episode, but they say no criminality is suspected and everyone is expected to survive.
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The investigation is ongoing.
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