At least eleven people were injured, five critically, on Friday after a double-decker tour bus slammed into cars, protective barriers and scaffolding before coming to a stop at the construction site of Apple's upcoming flagship store in San Francisco on Friday.
As reported by Hoodline, the bus struck multiple parked cars along Post Street, downed a power line and demolished one block's worth of scaffolding at the Union Square Apple Store construction site. Multiple people were injured in the accident, including a bicyclist who was hit by the runaway vehicle.
The cause of the crash has not been verified, though eyewitnesses believe the bus lost control after suffering a mechanical failure, potentially related to the vehicle's brakes. Emergency personnel evacuated passengers from the bus and other cars affected by the incident, the publication said. According to the San Francisco Fire Department, the tour bus itself was carrying as many as 30 people.
The SFPD has shut down the entire area as crews deal with injuries and wreckage.
The upcoming Union Square Apple Store is set to be the Bay Area's largest and boasts a unique open design featuring a grand entryway with huge two-story sliding glass doors. As recently reported by AppleInsider, construction on the structure's steel frame was just recently completed in September, in line with Apple's estimated opening date sometime in 2016.
Update: Hoodline has updated its story to include a statement from a San Francisco Police Department spokesman, who said five people are in life-threatening condition as a result of the crash. This article has been updated to reflect the new information.
Developing
26 Comments
Apple should give all injured an iPad .... and Tim Cook should leave Apple. /s
A tour bus full of Fandroids driven by an laid-off ex-Samsung engineer was apparently videotaping construction at the site. The driver got caught up staring at an iPad Pro poster and failed to navigate the road, crashing into the construction site. The driver was said that after he is released from jail, he hopes today's incident can curry enough favor with Samsung to get rehired.
[quote name="Mejsric" url="/t/190154/multiple-injuries-reported-as-tour-bus-crashes-into-flagship-sf-apple-store-construction-site#post_2806322"]Apple should give all injured an iPad .... and Tim Cook should leave Apple. /s[/quote] I know you are being sarcastic, but somehow some idiot will try to spin this as being Apple's fault.
Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a ton of lines just haphazardly in the air there, is that normal or related to the downed pole?
Did it at least hit that hideous fountain so that it can be removed?
Looks like power for the cable cars.