Multiple injuries reported as tour bus crashes into flagship SF Apple Store construction site

Posted:
in General Discussion edited November 2015
At least eleven people were injured, five critically, on Friday after a double-decker tour bus slammed into cars, protective barriers and scaffolding before coming to a stop at the construction site of Apple's upcoming flagship store in San Francisco on Friday.


Brian Kendzior via Instagram


As reported by Hoodline, the bus struck multiple parked cars along Post Street, downed a power line and demolished one block's worth of scaffolding at the Union Square Apple Store construction site. Multiple people were injured in the accident, including a bicyclist who was hit by the runaway vehicle.

The cause of the crash has not been verified, though eyewitnesses believe the bus lost control after suffering a mechanical failure, potentially related to the vehicle's brakes. Emergency personnel evacuated passengers from the bus and other cars affected by the incident, the publication said. According to the San Francisco Fire Department, the tour bus itself was carrying as many as 30 people.


Vince Mancini via Instagram


The SFPD has shut down the entire area as crews deal with injuries and wreckage.

The upcoming Union Square Apple Store is set to be the Bay Area's largest and boasts a unique open design featuring a grand entryway with huge two-story sliding glass doors. As recently reported by AppleInsider, construction on the structure's steel frame was just recently completed in September, in line with Apple's estimated opening date sometime in 2016.

Update: Hoodline has updated its story to include a statement from a San Francisco Police Department spokesman, who said five people are in life-threatening condition as a result of the crash. This article has been updated to reflect the new information.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    Apple should give all injured an iPad .... and Tim Cook should leave Apple.

    /s
  • Reply 2 of 26
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    A tour bus full of Fandroids driven by an laid-off ex-Samsung engineer was apparently videotaping construction at the site. The driver got caught up staring at an iPad Pro poster and failed to navigate the road, crashing into the construction site. The driver was said that after he is released from jail, he hopes today's incident can curry enough favor with Samsung to get rehired.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    mejsric wrote: »
    Apple should give all injured an iPad .... and Tim Cook should leave Apple.

    /s

    I know you are being sarcastic, but somehow some idiot will try to spin this as being Apple's fault.
  • Reply 4 of 26

    Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a ton of lines just haphazardly in the air there, is that normal or related to the downed pole?

  • Reply 5 of 26

    Did it at least hit that hideous fountain so that it can be removed?

     

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

    Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a ton of lines just haphazardly in the air there, is that normal or related to the downed pole?



    Looks like power for the cable cars.

  • Reply 6 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    Looks like power for the cable cars.


     

    SF Pedantry: Cable cars are powered by grabbing onto cables which are physically running in trenches under the streets, the very finest in 19th-century technology.

     

    The overhead wires power trolley buses, which are quieter and much less stinky than diesel, and can use regenerative braking (useful with the many hills hills) without having to carry heavy batteries.  Unfortunately, they occasionally detach from the wires, which is a huge hassle for everyone.

  • Reply 7 of 26
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    Did it at least hit that hideous fountain so that it can be removed?


     

    I think the fountain was around the corner on Stockton Street.

  • Reply 8 of 26
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    People were seriously injured. Do we really have to make stupid jokes about this?
  • Reply 9 of 26
    chiachia Posts: 713member
    It's been such a crappy day today with the terrorist attacks in Paris and this crash.
    My sympathy and condolences to the injured and bereaved.
  • Reply 10 of 26
    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

    Do we really have to make stupid jokes about this?



    Yes.

  • Reply 11 of 26
    tenlytenly Posts: 710member
    Nobody has ever been hurt by a Samsung store. Proof that Samsung builds safer things than Apple.
  • Reply 12 of 26
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    chia wrote: »
    It's been such a crappy day today with the terrorist attacks in Paris and this crash.
    My sympathy and condolences to the injured and bereaved.

    Agree! Can't wait for this Friday the 13th to be over. I am not even going out tonigh.
    May all these people rest in peace and all the injure make a full recovery.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    [LEFT]Those ooverhead lines power the electric buses. More to the point, that area has been a mess for months, a subway is being dug across that intersection, note the closed off sidewalks in the photo's bottom left corner. Plus add in tons of tourists, shoppers and office workers.[/LEFT]
  • Reply 14 of 26
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    I hate these tour buses whenever I went to the City. They're so fucking unsafe to operate in the crowded city and small roads like SF. I hope everyone is ok and just sue this damn tour bus programs to bankrupt them.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    Originally Posted by tenly View Post

    Nobody has ever been hurt by a Samsung store.



    Physically or emotionally?

  • Reply 16 of 26
    I hope Apple is going to install some very hefty bollards in the front of that store.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    tenly wrote: »
    Nobody has ever been hurt by a Samsung store. Proof that Samsung builds safer things than Apple.
    It's proof that no one goes into a Samsung store.

    As an aside, these busses have been breaking down fairly regularly near my house. Wonder if I need to get in touch with local investigative officials.
  • Reply 18 of 26
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    Looks like power for the cable cars.


     

    Power lines for the trolleybus (a bus powered by electricity received by a pantograph).

     

    Cable cars don't need power. There's a cable in the ground that's always moving and drags the car along.

  • Reply 19 of 26
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    tenly wrote: »
    Nobody has ever been hurt by a Samsung store. Proof that Samsung builds safer things than Apple.
    I hope Apple is going to install some very hefty bollards in the front of that store.

    The Apple Store bends. Waiting for the Sammy commercials and stronger enclosures next year.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,036member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fallenjt View Post

    I hate these tour buses whenever I went to the City. They're so fucking unsafe to operate in the crowded city and small roads like SF. I hope everyone is ok and just sue this damn tour bus programs to bankrupt them.

     

    But these tour buses aren't that much bigger than some of the 80 or so tech shuttle buses, that runs through the City daily, shuttling workers to Silicon Valley work places. Most of them use the same routes that public transportation buses use near residential areas, but they too, have to navigate through some of busy business districts in the course of their run. 

     

    http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-s-temporary-tech-shuttle-rules-get-good-6549938.php#photo-6075256

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