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U.S. NEWSFriday 25 September 2015
Tour vehicle, charter bus collide on Seattle bridge; 4 dead
PHUONG LE jumbled metal and glass. peared to be a few dozen lead tourists around the an Melissa Mixon said the
Associated Press Some victims were lying people on the ground. “I city. uninjured students and
SEATTLE (AP) — A “duck on the road. Others milled wanted to try to help. I felt Company President Brian staff were taken back to
boat” tour vehicle and a about, seemingly in shock helpless.” Tracey said he did not campus, where counselors
charter bus carrying for- and falling down. When emergency crews know what happened. were on hand.
eign college students col- Dyer jumped a railing sep- arrived, “a lot of people “Our main concern right Kuen Shouh Wu says his
lided on a busy Seattle arating the sidewalk from were running at them,” now is with the families of 18-year-old daughter was
bridge Thursday, killing four on the charter bus from
people and sending doz- Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal collision involving a charter bus, center left, North Seattle College, but
ens to hospitals. was not hurt. He and his
The collision happened on and a “Ride the Ducks” amphibious tour bus on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle on Thursday, Sept. daughter, Ming Chao Wu,
the Aurora Bridge, which are from Taiwan, and he is
carries one of the city’s 24, 2015. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP) a visiting scholar at the Uni-
main north-south highways versity of Washington. Wu
over a lake. At least eight the roadway and helped pleading for help, Seattle those hurt and killed,” he said when he learned of
people were in critical stabilize an injured man’s Fire Lt. Sue Stangl said. said. the accident, he came to
condition, and many oth- neck. She said she also Bloodworks Northwest, a The National Transporta- the school.
ers suffered lesser injuries. helped a woman who had blood-donation organiza- tion Safety Board sent a “I was scared,” he said.
There was no immediate a cut lip and glass in her tion, issued an urgent ap- team to Seattle to investi- “I don’t know why it hap-
word about the cause of eye. peal for donors, saying the gate. pened.”
the crash, which involved “She was holding my hand need for transfusions for Because foreign students The bridge was expected
a military-style tour bus that and saying thank you,” she crash victims was straining were on the charter bus, to be closed for hours. It
can also be operated on said. their supply. efforts were being made to has three lanes in each
water. Initial reports de- John Mundell said he was The amphibious vehicle is contact consulates, Mayor direction and no barrier
scribed the accident as a at the south end of the operated by a tour com- Ed Murray said. He had no separating the north and
head-on collision. bridge when the crash oc- pany called Ride the other details. southbound lanes.
A driver who was behind curred. Ducks, which offers tours Students and staff from The crash occurred near
the duck boat said the “We could hear the that are known for exuber- North Seattle College’s In- Canlis, one of the city’s
tour bus and duck boat screech and twisted met- ant drivers and guides who ternational Program were fanciest restaurants. The
were headed in opposite al. It was surreal,” he said, play loud music and quack among those who were restaurant announced it
directions. Brad Volm of adding he saw what ap- through speakers as they hurt. School spokeswom- would close for the night in
Philadelphia said the am- response. Instead, its em-
phibious vehicle swerved ployees carried food over
in front of him. The left front to first responders.
tire of the duck boat ap- The safety of the amphibi-
peared to lock up, and the ous boats has been ques-
vehicle swerved into the tioned before. Lawyer
oncoming charter bus, he Steve Bulzomi represented
said. a motorcyclist who was run
Witnesses described hear- over and dragged by a
ing a loud screech and Ride the Ducks boat that
then seeing injured people came up behind him at a
lying on the pavement or stoplight in downtown Se-
wandering around in a attle in 2011.
daze. “These are military craft
Nurse Jahna Dyer said she that were never designed
was walking across the to navigate narrow city
bridge when she came streets,” Bulzomi said
upon the scene, a mess of Thursday.q
