Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Mustang driver.
WASHINGTON — Passing motorists sound concerned, then horrified.
“Oh, my God! It’s a school bus, and it drove into the MTA!” a woman tells a 911 dispatcher describing the aftermath of a deadly crash involving a school bus and a Maryland Transit Administration commuter bus early Tuesday morning in Baltimore.
The school bus was blocks away from its first stop around 7 a.m. Tuesday when it hit a cemetery wall, rear-ended another vehicle, struck a pillar and swerved into the MTA bus, ripping nearly off the entire driver’s side of the bus, police said. Six people, including the drivers of both buses were killed in the Frederick Avenue crash.
Baltimore Police released audio Wednesday of 911 calls made after the fatal collision.
“I need an ambulance! I need an ambulance,” a woman who witnessed the collision told a dispatcher during one of the calls. At one point, another woman can be heard screaming and sobbing in the background.
Shawn Braxton, who was driving the Mustang initially hit by the school bus, is heard on the 911 tape, amid the blaring sound of a car alarm.
“A school bus just hit me in the rear,” a dazed Braxton tells the dispatcher. Later, bystanders can be heard assisting him.
Editor’s Note: The audio contains graphic language and may be disturbing to some listeners.
Braxton suffered bruises in the crash and later said he was still trying to process the traumatic event.
“I’m just mentally trying to deal with, you know, surviving the accident while other people died,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Police released the names of the crash victims Wednesday.
Authorities said they’re investigating whether the school bus driver suffered a medical emergency before the crash. Police said they found practically no skid marks at the scene, which suggests the driver didn’t brake before the crash.
All told, 10 other people were injured in the crash. Three people remained at University of Maryland Shock Trauma as of Wednesday morning, including one patient in critical condition, authorities said.
