55 passengers injured in USC bus collision

Just before noon Tuesday, a bus traveling westbound on Exposition Boulevard collided with a Metro Train, according to USC Transportation. The collision injured 55 people.

At least 37 people were examined and treated before being released at the scene with a total of 18 sent to the hospital, two of whom were seriously injured, fire officials told the station.

The crash happened at the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Watt Way when a USC shuttle bus drove into the path of a Metro E Line train headed south, according to a Metro statement provided to ABC7. DPS sent out a Trojan Alert to students and faculty at 12:35 p.m. advising people to find an alternate route due to the road closure.

There was one passenger aboard the USC bus along with the driver. They were the two most severe patients, according to the LA Times.

On Wednesday evening, President Folt tweeted the following: “I’m hoping for a speedy and full recovery for anyone who was injured in the USC bus accident yesterday” before posting a screenshot of the Tweet to her Instagram Feed.

After roughly four hours, Metro Los Angeles announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that both tracks had been reopened and normal service was resuming. The train involved in the crash was removed from the track and taken to the rail yard, according to the transit agency.

Upon reaching out to USC PR, they offered the following statement from USC Transportation:

“A bus traveling westbound on Exposition Boulevard collided with a metro train on Tuesday afternoon. The bus was a Starcraft 40 passenger bus and was in service at the time with one passenger on board. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.”

USC Transportation said that they “have additional buses, so operations are not affected.”