A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus crashed into a car late in the morning of Tuesday, August 12, 2014, in Franklin, Massachusetts, leading to more than a dozen injuries to the people inside the bus. A late-model sedan swerved out of its lane into the oncoming lane that the MBTA bus was driving in, causing the bus to crash headlong into the sedan. Both car and bus came to an abrupt halt after the impact, and the car came to a final stop turned halfway around on the nearby sidewalk.
The driver of the sedan in question, 30-year-old Stephen Griswold, was deemed by authorities on the scene to be driving while intoxicated and was taken into custody following the crash pending further investigation. Griswold stated that he felt dizziness overcome him just prior to the accident’s occurrence. Witnesses stated that they saw him exit his vehicle and enter two nearby area businesses before officers arrived at the scene of the accident and took him into custody. It is unclear whether authorities suspected Griswold of using alcohol or illegal or prescription drugs at the time the accident took place.
Witnesses stated that they saw Griswold driving in the wrong lane more than 15 yards prior to colliding with the passenger-laden MBTA bus. In spite of the many injuries he was allegedly responsible for due to the accident, Griswold himself sustained only minor injuries and was taken in for questioning without stopping at a hospital for evaluation first.
Witnesses also reported that the emergency exit at the rear of the bus may have been compromised in some way, as responders were forced to pull passengers out of the vehicle by way of the side door. The front door was allegedly jammed shut due to damage sustained in the crash.
Of the 34 people on board the bus at the time of the accident, more than half reported injuries and more than a dozen were taken to area hospitals for treatment by ambulance, including the driver of the bus. Passengers reported a very hard impact, with many of them sailing through the air as the bus was hit, and nearby witnesses of the accident reported seeing glass shatter everywhere, from both bus and sedan alike.