Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

School Bus Crashed into Hotel in California

Aired June 18, 2001 - 11:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: One item of interest for us is a breaking story in Pasadena, California. We've been following this story. the aftermath of a bus crash there. A bus crashed apparently into either a tree or the side of the hotel there. We're joined now on the telephone by Ed Scannell. He is where the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mr. Scannell, what can you tell us about this accident? From the pictures that we just saw, it was kind of hard to tell whether or not the bus hit the tree or the hit the hotel?

ED SCANNELL, L.A. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY: Well, preliminarily, it would appear from at least one call that we got from the scene that the bus struck the hotel. The accident occurred just after 7:00 this morning. One of our buses was heading southbound on a very busy street, and a car that was heading westbound on the street collided with the bus.

Police on the scene are trying to ascertain as to who had the right of way, who had the green light. We're told that 23 people were transported, 10 of those high school students from two local high schools, Blair High School and Rose City High School. I don't know the extent of their injuries at this point in time.

HARRIS: Can you give our viewers right now who are watching and may be in the area the intersection near where this happened?

SCANNELL: The intersection is Los Robles and Walnut, which is in downtown Pasadena.

HARRIS: Downtown Pasadena. Right now, do you have the latest numbers on the number of casualties, who has been injured here, how many people have been injured.

SCANNELL: We're told that 23 people were transported, all from the bus, 10 are those are high school students from two local high schools. The bus driver, she had suffered a fractured wrist. We don't know if she has been transported.

HARRIS: Do you know how many people were on the bus in total?

SCANNELL: Unclear, certainly that's a very busy time of the morning. We could have had more than the 23. But 23 were transported.

HARRIS: How about any damage to the structure? Have you been able to investigate that?

SCANNELL: I don't know the extent of the damage to the structure. There's some people who have suggested the bus may have actually penetrated the front of the hotel or that it just went into the archway in the front of the hotel and we're hoping that find that out momentarily.

HARRIS: All right, sure. Just let us -- help us with our mind's eye here play out how this may have happened. Was the bus making the turn here or was the car making a turn here?

SCANNELL: At least as we understand now, the bus was headed southbound on Los Robles, a car was headed westbound on Walnut and one of the two had a red light, one of the two had a green light. That's what's being determined by police at this time.

HARRIS: Understood. Understood. Do you know what the heaviest of the injuries might be?

SCANNELL: We do not. We do not know the extent of injuries at this point in time.

HARRIS: We sure appreciate you giving us what information you do have here. Ed Scannell with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority there in Los Angeles. At the scene of that bus crash there in Pasadena, California, 23 people now being transported to the hospital in the wake of that accident

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com