1 dead, 12 injured after Metro bus crashes into building in Seattle: Authorities

One of the victims is in critical condition, the Seattle Fire Department said.

November 5, 2023, 10:44 AM

One person was killed and 12 others were injured after a Metro bus collided with a vehicle at a downtown Seattle intersection, ran over a pedestrian and crashed into a building, authorities said.

Among the victims who survived the incident, one was in critical condition and the rest are in stable condition, the Seattle Fire Department said.

The crash unfolded near the Belltown section of Seattle around 3:30 p.m. local time, according to the Seattle Police Department.

A King County Metro bus was traveling east when it collided with a red sedan headed south at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Battery Street, police said.

PHOTO: Seattle Police Department released this photo of a fatal collision involving a Metro Bus at the intersection of 5 AV/Battery ST in Seattle, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Seattle Police Department released this photo of a fatal collision involving a Metro Bus at the intersection of 5 AV/Battery ST in Seattle, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Seattle Police Department/Twitter

"The collision caused the Metro Bus to leave the roadway crashing into a building near the intersection," police Detective Judinna Gulpan said in a statement early Sunday.

Gulpan said the bus struck and killed a woman who was walking outside the building the bus crashed into. The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene, Gulpan said.

The red sedan was also sent careening into the building, and firefighters had to extricate the driver from the vehicle. The driver, a man, was taken by ambulance to Harborview Medical Center, where he was in critical condition, police said.

Gulpan said the bus driver and passengers all suffered minor non-life-threatening injuries and that officers helped treat them at the scene.

No one was inside the portion of the building impacted by the crash and there was "no significant structural damage to the building," the fire department said on social media.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

"This tragic incident involving a vehicle and one of our buses is heartbreaking," King County Metro said in a statement. "Our primary concern is with the loss of life and the health of those who were injured. We're not able to provide further details at this early point in the investigation. We're working with first responders and offering our support to our community members, employees and riders."