Urban Bus Adventures: Bus Crash

It was a beautiful spring morning and I was waiting once again for the bus. I had early morning classes to get to and I was hoping the bus would be on time. It usually was. My favorite bus driver, Mac, was driving the route this morning and I was thrilled. Ever since he had taken the morning route over some 6 months prior, my ride to class every morning had become very enjoyable. Mac had been in Tucson for years and had held various jobs around town. He was fascinating to talk to. I would sit as close to the front as I could so that we could talk all the way to the university and then do the same on my trip home. I loved having him for a bus driver. He was also very punctual. Most bus drivers irritated me because they didn't care whether or not you were late to your stop. Many times I found myself huffing and puffing across campus to get to class 5 minutes late thanks to my lethargic bus driver. But that didn't happen with Mac. He made that bus move like no other bus driver I knew could. We were always on time unless something unavoidable happened. So, I was there waiting for him, looking forward to seeing him. He pulled in right on time and I hopped up the steps, swiping my pass and sitting in the first seat across from him. "Morning, Mac!", I called out. "Well good morning to you! How are you this morning?" he replied. I answered that I was alright and we started in chit chatting. We had made a couple of stops and were heading down the road at a good rate. We pulled in to a stop, more passengers boarded, and we started down the road again when suddenly we hit a massive wall of traffic. Mac tried desperately to slam on the brakes without losing control of the bus. The bus was swaying slightly and we were all hanging on to the rails as the bus skidded to a stop and into the car in front of us. There was the sound of the bus hitting the bumper of the car and a general gasp as the passengers on the bus realized what had just happened. We had just been in an accident in a bus! Mac was very clearly shaken and was asking everyone if they were alright. He radioed the bus station to send the police and let them know what had happened. He was informed that the passengers could not leave the bus until they had filled out reports of the incident. Upon hearing this several passengers began complaining about their schedules and asking if that really was the case. He tried to calm everyone down and find out what they needed. One man insisted that he had to get off the bus and find other transportation to an appointment he had. Mac took his information down and asked him to sign a statement before he left. He scrawled something on a sheet of paper and then gathered his things and stepped off the bus. Mac continued to try and calm the passengers and ask us to stay until the police arrived. He then got out of the bus and went to check on the passengers in the other car. The police were on the scene in a few minutes and were soon asking everyone what had happened.
I never made it to class that morning. Instead I spent the next hour filling out report forms for the bus company as well as giving a verbal statement to the police and filling out forms for them. Eventually another bus came to pick us up and take us to our destinations, but I felt bad leaving Mac there. There was no real damage done to the car in front of us. The bus was not going very fast at the moment of impact and the car bumper had absorbed most of the impact. Unfortunately for Mac, the front seat passenger in the car was pregnant and she began to hyperventilate when the bus hit them. The paramedics said she was most likely just fine, but she insisted that she was not and Mac feared there would be a suit against him and the bus company. He looked so shaken and worried when I left him that I felt terrible for him. I wished that I could help him some way. He asked if he could use my information in case he needed witnesses later on and I told him I would help him in any way I could. As I drove away on the next bus my thoughts were filled with worry about Mac. I never saw him again. I found out later that because of the accident the bus company had terminated him. I was sad to see him go. I never have had a better bus driver than him. How sad that a traffic pile up and an unavoidable accident left me without a good bus driver. Such is life on the bus route.