INDIANAPOLIS — Seven people were taken to the hospital after a crash between an IndyGo bus and a car Monday afternoon in downtown Indianapolis.
The crash between an IndyGo bus and a car happened in the 900 block of North Capitol Avenue, near 10th and North Illinois streets, around noon Aug. 12.
An Indianapolis Fire Department spokesperson confirmed six of the nine people on the bus were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The spokesperson said the woman driving the car was taken in serious condition to a hospital.
Witnesses said the car and IndyGo bus were both going south of Capitol Avenue when the driver of the car tried to make a left turn, which is across the bus lane, not realizing the bus was there.
A risky intersection
Doug Wright said with the red line running both north and south on a one-way street can be misleading to drivers.
"Sometimes, the signage can be a little bit confusing, particularly if there is signage saying to look both ways before you make a turn because you're not thinking to look both ways on a one-way street, crossing over a one-way street, and then, unfortunately, accidents like this can happen," said Wright, who was visiting the Stutz with his wife and newborn.
Angie Raynor, who works at a restaurant in the Stutz building, said there's plenty of signage at the intersection but not enough people paying attention.
"I see a lot of people on their phones all day long and people not paying attention to the lanes, and like I said, the bus drivers kind of fly down here a little bit. I don't know how much they pay attention," Raynor said.
13News' Chase Houle reached out to IndyGo about Wright and Raynor's concerns, and a spokesperson with the bus system sent the following email:
"We’re still awaiting information from IMPD to understand what led to this accident, so we have no comment on the accident itself.
Regarding statements from people regarding confusion along the Red Line on Capitol Avenue, IndyGo installed signage along the route for those pulling out onto Capitol, stating “Bus Approaching from Left,” reminding motorists to look both ways before pulling out.
Once the Red Line launched in September 2019, it converted traffic flow to two-way with our buses driving north and south along Capitol between Washington and 16th streets. As with any other two-way intersection, we encourage drivers to pay close attention, look both ways and carefully check their surroundings before pulling out onto the street.
Once on the street driving alongside bus lanes, motorists should make sure the lane is clear before entering it to make a left turn."
And while Raynor wants more people to have their eyes on the road, the Wrights want to see a change in the bus routes on Capitol Avenue.
"Going with the flow of the traffic instead of having to manage going and looking multiple ways and directions and more consistency. Maybe better kind of information put out there by IndyGo or anything like that," Lauren Wright said.
IFD said IMPD is the agency investigating the crash.
When 13News reached out the police department, they said the investigation is ongoing.