An unusual accident took place Friday afternoon involving two vehicles and a PVTA bus, causing minor delays.

“I’ve never seen an accident right before my eyes,” said Joanne Murphy, a fourth semester PVTA bus driver.

The accident happened at about 3:20 pm between the intersections of Clark Hill Road and Orchard Hill Drive. A Blue 35 Southbound Route campus shuttle was on its way down the hill and was waiting for a car on Orchard Hill Drive to turn left onto Clark Hill Road.

“I didn’t even see the van, it just came flying up,” Murphy said.

As the car was turning left onto Clark Hill Road a mini-van was speeding up the hill. The car collided into the driver’s side door of the minivan, which bounced off the car and into the bus. The bus was already at a complete stop.

Murphy said the majority of her passengers saw the accident about to happen and braced themselves for the impact.

“I was stopped right there and she just bumped into me.”

Murphy said the van didn’t hit the bus very hard and was probably traveling at between five and 10 miles per hour upon impact. The car had minimal damage to the front and the driver’s side of the mini-van was crunched in.

“Nothing happened to me, there are just a few little marks on the bus,” Murphy said.

The drivers of the car and mini-van were not injured. According to Murphy, the mini-van driver was taken away in an ambulance to be treated for an asthma reaction.

Murphy said navigating the intersection of Orchard Hill Drive and Clark Hill Road isn’t tough for her because she knows the route well. She said she does see how it can be difficult for cars to make decisions about turning when there is a bus involved. According to Murphy, the situation on Friday is a common scenario at that intersection.

“It’s not uncommon, but this time it’s unfortunate I guess,” Murphy said.

-Jamie Loo