GARDNER — Three students at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner were injured when they were struck by a Montachusett Regional Transit Authority bus dropping off students just before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“You just see the bodies flying.”
“Honestly, it was like a horror movie,” said passenger Sam Nieves. He photographed the shattered windshield from inside the bus after he said it came around a sharp corner. “In that tight bend he had gone around the corner and on the sidewalk the speed seemed to increase. All the students were hit one by one.”
Nieves’ girlfriend and fellow passenger Sabrina Alonso also witnessed the accident. “We were sitting at the back and you could just see the bodies flying,” Alonso said.
Witnesses say the bus appeared to be out of control
Nieves and Alonso take the bus every morning with the same driver, but on this trip, they said, it seemed as if control had been lost.
“I think it was something technical. I don’t think he was speeding on purpose. I think maybe he tried to brake and the bus accelerated. I don’t know,” Alonso said.
The students were walking on a lawn on their way to class when the bus jumped the curb, hit them and hit a light pole. The passengers say the driver cut the steering wheel as hard as he could to prevent further catastrophe.
“Until he was able to make that turn, I think we would have kept going straight, maybe hitting more people or injuring ourselves,” Nieves said.
MART bus accidents
Just over a week ago, a MART bus crashed into a bus terminal in downtown Fitchburg, seriously injuring a man.
Student Emma Hernandez said she was involved in another accident and has concerns about MART’s track record. “They rammed into a car, the accident I was in. The track record – I wouldn’t say it’s terrible because accidents happen every day – but it’s certainly not great,” Hernandez said.
The college sent an email alert and offered counseling services. Although the students are said to be alert and not seriously injured, those involved are very shaken.
“It’s very traumatizing, I travel all the time, and now I’m afraid to take the bus. I just hope those students are okay,” Alonso said.
“I think if it is a technical problem, buses should be recalled because this can only happen again and harm more people,” Nieves said.
MART is investigating the accident and the driver is on leave. The students involved in the accident were not seriously injured.
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