Salina, N.Y. — A bus that was hit by an SUV on the Onondaga Lake Parkway Wednesday night was trying to turn around to avoid hitting the low railroad bridge that so many vehicles have struck.
The bus was less than a mile from the bridge.
The Greyhound bus had just left the Syracuse Walsh Regional Transportation Center when a GPS directed the driver to the parkway through Park Street, Onondaga County Park Rangers spokesman Kevin DiGregorio said.
The driver noticed the signs warning commercial vehicles to the low bridge and decided to turn around, said DiGregorio. The bus was near the pond and wedding bridge along the parkway when the driver attempted to make a U-turn, he said.
It is unclear if the driver was using a personal or commercial GPS, DiGregorio said.
In 2010, four people were killed after a driver using a GPS drove a double-decker Megabus into the low bridge, police said.
On Wednesday night, a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox drove into the side of the bus as the bus was turning, DiGregorio said. An officer on the scene reported the car was “well into the bus,” according to dispatches from the Onondaga County 911 Center.
The crash was reported at 8:37 p.m., according to Onondaga County 911 Center.
DiGregorio said the man driving the SUV was changing lanes and looked at his side mirror to check if the road was clear when his vehicle hit the bus.
The driver of the SUV was taken to Crouse Hospital for minor injuries, DiGregorio said. The driver of the bus and its five passengers were not injured, he said.
All lanes of the parkway were closed for about an hour in both directions.
The driver of the bus was issued an over-height vehicle ticket for being on the parkway, DiGregorio said. Commercial vehicles are not allowed on the parkway, he said.
The driver of the SUV was not ticketed.
The bridge has a clearance of 10 feet 9 inches. The typical height of a passenger bus is 12 to 14 feet and trailers hauled by tractor-trailers are typically about 13.5 feet.
Investigators examine the wreckage of a Megabus accident on the Onondaga Lake Parkway in September 2010. The bus crashed into the low bridge on the parkway, killing 4 passengers. (Syracuse.com | File photo, 2010)
Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com.