An SUV allegedly driving the wrong direction at a high speed collided head on with a Merrimack Valley Transit—or MeVa—bus late Wednesday afternoon on Route 110 near the Boston North Technology Park.
MeVa Administrator Noah Berger told WHAV the driver of the SUV was taken to Portsmouth Hospital in “fairly rough shape.” Everyone on the bus was able to walk off without assistance, he added, with three going to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Reviewing video footage of the incident, Berger said the car burst into flames on impact. He praised the bus driver’s quick thinking and professionalism. “The driver maneuvered the bus so it was not going to be affected by the flames. I think a lot of the passengers were rightfully terrified. He did a good job of making sure that nobody panicked and that everyone was okay.”
He made sure everyone evacuated safely and was the last one off the bus, Berger added. “This is why we go through the safety training that we do because we can control what we do, but we can’t control what other people do.”
Berger emphasized the safety of traveling by bus in general. “As much as I hate that it was our vehicle and our bus and our passengers and our employees who were impacted, imagine if it had been just a regular small car that you and I and so many other people drive because the outcome would have been a lot more horrific.”
The bus was on the way to Haverhill from Amesbury. Berger said police arrived “almost immediately,” with the regional transit authority’s personnel also on the scene. He added he was in communication with Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove at the time.
Amesbury Police Department are investigating.