A Regional Transit Service bus crashed into a large rock Wednesday afternoon after its driver took a U-turn away from the normal route.
At about 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, the driver of RTS bus Route 20 missed a stop near the intersection of Radio Road and Museum Drive, so she pulled into the Baughman Center parking lot, said 19-year-old UF finance sophomore Jan Kelley.
Kelley, who was on the bus, said the driver backed up and crashed into a rock in the middle of the lot.
“She kinda got stuck, so we all had to get off and get a new bus,” he said.
He said the crash made a loud, sharp noise as the bus’s left side panel ripped off. The bus was nearly full, but no injuries were reported.
An RTS worker then arrived to the lot in a white pick-up truck and began trying to readjust the side panel, which is made of sheet metal.
The worker only gave his first name, Lee, because RTS would not allow him to speak with media. He said the bus driver was new to her job.
Kelley said he was not surprised.
“It seemed like she was pretty new,” he said.
The bus driver, who did not give her name, will be written up by the company, Lee said.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
