Structural integrity of building questioned after bus shears off corner in Rego Park

REGO PARK, N.Y. (WABC) -- A day after a bus crashed into a building in Queens, there are serious questions about structural integrity of the building, even as workers struggle to shore it up.

Skid marks across the street tell the story - police said it appears the driver of the Resorts World Casino bus swerved to avoid hitting a car, and struck the building instead. The impact of the collision sent a blast of bricks, glass and dust into the air.

Witnesses said the bus driver had been cut off by the driver of another car.

The building, located on 63rd Avenue at Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park, is home to the Law Offices of Landers and Landers, a realty office and apartments. A large portion of the corner of the building was sheared off by the bus.

Neighbors and bystanders joined firefighters Monday to get the stunned passengers out of the bus and onto stretchers. The driver of the bus was pinned inside the wreckage and had to be rescued by firefighters with heavy equipment.

"I saw the driver covered with those bricks up to his neck," said George Drimba, who was the first bystander to reach the driver. "Obviously with that pressure, I thought he was not going to be able to breathe, but he was able to open his eyes when I asked him to open his eyes. He did that a few times. He was going in and out, in and out," said Drimba.

Six people on the bus were injured and taken to the hospital.

One woman watched as the bus driver lost control after being cut off.

"He tried to avoid it all costs, it was not his fault at all," said eyewitness Ann Marie Constantinides.

Many residents say new express bus lanes in the area make for dangerous traffic patterns. The damaged building houses a law firm, a realtor, and residents in upstairs apartments.

"I'm actually pretty calm, surprisingly," said Paulina Chojnowski, the daughter of a tenant. She is getting married this weekend and many of the clothes for the ceremony are in her mother's apartment on the third floor.

"Her bedroom is right above the construction worker over there," she said. "My mom's dress for the wedding is in there, my father's tuxedo and all jewelry for the wedding, everything we were prepping, plus we have visitors from Eastern Europe so all their stuff is in there too."

Sources say the temporary repairs should be sufficient for people like Paulina and others to go in and get their belongings, but whether the building can be saved is still not clear.

The bus driver is still hospitalized with serious injuries.