MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Transit bus remains wedged underneath a building in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood two days after it crashed into it, raising concerns the structure could collapse if the vehicle is removed.
The bus could be seen lodged into the 92-year-old building after it left irreparable damage to the structure, Tuesday morning.
Officials talking about the incident Monday said getting the bus out will not be easy, and city officials continue to work on a solution to remove the bus.
“There is a concern that as soon as you remove that bus, the building might collapse,” said City of Miami spokesperson Stephanie Severino.
When the bus crashed, the impact took out a column of the building. Now, the bus appears to be holding up the structure.
The owner of Omega’s Fashion, a business located in the building at Northwest Second Avenue and 54th Street, held back tears as he tried to process Sunday morning’s crash.
“I’ve been coming here for 40 years every day, and now you can’t even go in,” said Arsene Omega.
According to Miami Fire Rescue, the transit bus and a pickup truck collided, causing the bus to slam into a column of the building, at around 9 a.m., Sunday.
“One [victim] was possibly ejected from the truck,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll. “Now, once the collision occurred, the bus veered off and slammed into the Omega’s Fashion business located here on the corner,”
Eight people on board the bus, including the driver, were taken to the hospital. The man and woman inside the truck were transported to Ryder Trauma Center in serious condition.
“Thank God nobody died, but you know, I’m thinking next week, the week after, what am I gonna do?” said Omega.
Witnesses said it looked like the truck ran a red light, causing the collision.
“It was a green light for the bus, and the bus went and collided, T-boned,” said witness Joseph. “The truck spun, crashed into the wall. The bus barricaded under the building. The building landed on top of the bus for support.”
Cleanup efforts at the scene resumed on Monday, as engineers returned to assess the damage.
As crews continue to figure out what next steps they will take, Omega said he’s hopeful something will be done soon.
“They should be working on it and try to get it out because the bus cannot stay there forever,” he said.
City officials said their next step is finding a contractor or demolition service to help remove the bus. They said this may be a lengthy process.
As of Monday afternoon, the northbound lanes in the area are closed off at 54th to Fifth streets. The westbound lanes are closed off from Northwest First to Second avenues.
Traffic is expected to remain an issue, so officials advised drivers to expect delays.
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