On Saturday, February 11, 2006 at 8:41 AM, eight Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, eight LAFD Rescue Ambulances, one EMS Battalion Captain, one Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, and one Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Timothy Kerbrat, responded to a Multi-Patient Traffic Collision at the intersection of West Stocker Street and South Crenshaw Boulevard in the Crenshaw/Baldwin Hills area.

First units on the scene reported a Traffic Collision between a Metro Rapid Bus and a passenger vehicle with at least forty passengers on the bus and only the driver in the passenger car. There was no entrapment.

The Incident Commander immediately requested additional resources and began assigning arriving units to a variety of duties to handle the Multi-Patient Incident including but not limited to, implementing the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) system, scene safety (Firefighter safety/damaged power pole), crowd control (bystanders), containment of the impacted area (preventing individuals not associated with the incident from entering the crash area), establishing a treatment area for the injured (immediate, delayed and minor), setting up a communication area, and other related duties.

As result of the collision, thirteen individuals were assessed (12 from the bus and the driver of the passenger vehicle). Of the thirteen, seven were treated on the scene and released, including the driver of the Metro Bus. Six were transported to area hospitals, including the driver of the passenger car with minor injuries (neck and back).

The cause of the collision is under investigation by Metro Officials and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Submitted by Jim Wells, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department