1 dead, others injured in Duluth city bus crash
Updated 3:55 p.m. | Posted 10:24 a.m.
A man was killed in Duluth early Tuesday morning when two buses collided downtown.
At about five a.m., a Duluth Transit authority bus struck a traffic light on Superior Street, and then crashed into another bus heading in the opposite direction.
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Police Lt. Mike Ceynowa said the man killed in the crash was not one of the bus drivers but couldn't confirm whether he was a passenger or on the street.
"Until we have a chance to fully review the video that's on the bus, and re-interview a lot of the passengers on the bus, we're not able to make that determination," he said. The man's identity will be released once his family has been notified.
About 15 to 20 passengers were on the two buses. Most were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Duluth police, along with the Minnesota State Patrol are investigating the crash. Both bus drivers have worked for the Duluth Transit Authority for more than 20 years, said Jim Heilig, the agency's director of administration and planning.
"Both have exemplary safety histories," he said, with one driver in particular having worked for 30 years without an accident.
Both buses were fairly new, Heilig added. "We don't foresee mechanical type issues."
Heilig said this is the first bus related fatality in Duluth he's aware of in at least 35 years.