A Milwaukee County bus heading east on Wisconsin Avenue went off the road and crashed into Johnston Hall at approximately 5:13 p.m. this evening. Five people have non-life threatening injuries as a result, four of whom have been transported to the hospital, according to the Marquette University Police Department.
There were nine people aboard the bus at the time of the incident.
The 1100 and 1200 blocks of Wisconsin Avenue were closed off as of 6 p.m., university spokesperson Chris Jenkins said. The bus lost control while turning left from 12th Street to Wisconsin Avenue, the Milwaukee County Transit System said.
After the accident, Johnston Hall was evacuated. There is minimal damage to the front of the building, Jenkins said.
This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. on May 16, 2018.
RHP • May 18, 2018 at 7:48 am
I was a twenty-one year accident free bus operator before accepting a position as a driver Instructor for eight years. Speed is definitely the greatest contributing factor from what I can deduce from this twenty second video clip. I could not ascertain if there are two left turn lanes and if so are there two priority left turn traffic lights? Was the bus operator attempting to beat the lights? Regardless, the bus operator should have been in the turn lane on the right behind the grey car if indeed there were two left turn lanes. the inside turn lane does not afford the bus sufficient room to make the turn without encroaching into the curb lane due to the median. If not then the grey car made an illegal left turn from a through lane and is extremely lucky. Adding that if my second hypothesis is correct the grey car left the scene of an accident. Safety is paramount when operating a transit coach. My hope is that no one was seriously hurt. I remain, RHP