NEW YORK – A traffic accident involving two double-decker tour buses in New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday afternoon sent shattered glass flying and injured 14 people, three of them seriously.
None of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening, the Fire Department of New York said.
Tourist Cara McCaskill, of Winnipeg, Canada, saw the scene of the accident moments after it happened as she walked out of her hotel.
“I saw fire trucks trying to get through all the crazy traffic,” the 16-year-old said. “And I saw ambulances and blood on the ground.”
The accident occurred around 47th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, an area of Times Square usually teeming with tourists near a TKTS discount Broadway tickets booth and the Hershey’s Chocolate World store. It shut down a stretch of Seventh Avenue.
At least eight people, including several bus passengers, were treated at the scene, city officials said.
One of the buses crashed into a light pole, causing it to topple, witnesses said.
The glass in the front of the bus was shattered, and glass was strewn on the pavement.
Bystanders said the scene was initially chaotic, with people running around trying to help.
Rose Cantillon was visiting the city from Ireland and was nearby.
“I was sitting on a bench, and I turned around and heard screaming, and I ran,” she said.
The cause of the accident was under investigation. Telephone calls to the tour bus companies seeking comment were not immediately returned Tuesday.
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