OGDEN — Bark sheared from a tree trunk and fresh tire tracks marked the spot where a Utah Transit Authority bus and sport utility vehicle collided Wednesday morning, both nearly crashing into a house at the corner of 25th Street and Harrison Boulevard.
The accident happened around 5:50 a.m.
The UTA bus, which was not carrying any passengers, was traveling east on 25th Street, ran a stop sign and struck the SUV heading south on Harrison Boulevard, said Police Lt. Danielle Croyle.
Both vehicles ended up in the front yard at the southeast corner of the intersection, coming to rest within feet of the house.
No one answered the door at the home Wednesday afternoon.
The accident alarmed several neighbors who live near the dwelling where the bus and SUV ended up.
Mateo Chavez, who lives two houses away, said he was awakened by the sound of the crash.
“It sounded like a thud,” Chavez said Wednesday afternoon, adding that he attempted to help the injured bus driver.
Liz Romo, who lives across the street, also was roused from her sleep by the crash that she said sounded like a freight train.
Chavez said that, since November, there have been three crashes at the intersection, which has two-way stop signs for east-west traffic, but no traffic signal.
Information on the intersection’s accident history was not immediately available from police.
Vic Saunders, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation, said to his knowledge Ogden officials have not requested a traffic study, which would be required before a signal could be installed at the intersection.
The male drivers of the bus and SUV, whose names were not released, had to be extricated from the vehicles and were transported to an area hospital, Croyle said.
The bus driver was treated at McKay-Dee Hospital for minor injuries and released, Gerry Carpenter, a spokesman for UTA said Wednesday.
The driver will be tested for drugs and alcohol, which is standard procedure when UTA vehicles are involved in an accident, Carpenter said. He will remain on administrative leave while UTA officials investigate the crash.
Information about injuries to the SUV driver were not available.
Both vehicles sustained extensive damage. The crash remains under investigation.
Video of the busy intersection and crash scene
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