Teen Describes Terrifying Bus Crash with Crane in Queens

QUEENS VILLAGE, N.Y. — An 18-year-old passenger recounted her terrifying experience after an MTA bus collided with a crane on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. on Springfield Boulevard.

The bus, identified as a Q88, was making a left turn when the crane, which was also in motion, struck the left side of the bus. Emily McKinnon, an incoming college freshman, was onboard and described the moment of impact.

“We didn’t see the crane coming. I don’t know if that person was trying to clip the light before it turned red, but our bus was turning perfectly fine and then the crane just hits us,” McKinnon said.

McKinnon was seated in the back of the bus when the crane smashed into the side, shattering windows and sending passengers flying. “I was holding on for my life back there,” she recalled.

After the crash, McKinnon rushed to check on the other passengers. “I had to run down, I was like; ‘Are you guys okay?’ … Two of them were crying already. They were shaken up,” she stated.

She also expressed concern for the bus driver. “He got hit probably worse than all of us. The bus driver didn’t do anything wrong,” McKinnon added. “There was nothing wrong with the turn at all.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reported that the bus driver and three other passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. McKinnon mentioned that she felt rattled but still needed to take the bus to work.

“It’s a bus accident. It’s not every day that this happens — especially in Queens … I’m scared to go on the bus again,” she said.

The New York Police Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.