An AU shuttle bus swerved to avoid another car and crashed into the brick sign in front of the Department of Homeland Security offices on Nebraska Avenue May 29, according to Maralee Csellar, acting director of AU Media Relations. There were no injuries to the driver of the car or the shuttle, or to the six passengers on board the shuttle, according to Csellar.
Tony Newman, director of Public Safety Risk Management, could not be reached for comment.
Ryan Spilhaus, a senior in the School of Communication, was one of the students riding the shuttle when the accident occurred. He said that from his seat on the left side of the shuttle, he did not notice anything unusual prior to the accident.
"All I can remember is that there was a car that was trying to turn into Nebraska Hall's parking lot," Spilhaus said. "I don't know if the bus driver didn't see the car or if the car stopped really suddenly or what, but the bus driver veered to the right and crashed into the big sign there. Then I just saw bricks go flying."
Spilhaus, who is working in Bender Arena over the summer, said he was not questioned by Metropolitan Police Department officers or Homeland Security officials following the accident.
"They said we could just go," he said.
AU officials do not anticipate any changes to shuttle operations as a result of the accident, she said.
Transportation Services will use the incident as an "opportunity to learn about improved safety and driver techniques" for current and future shuttle drivers, Csellar said.
Every summer, AU shuttle drivers participate in a "rodeo" and practice maneuvering around cones and through other courses, Csellar said. The rodeo is "another way to give our drivers advanced techniques," she said.
David Lewin-Rowen, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, saw the accident shortly after it occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m. while walking to work.
"I saw some cop cars and police yellow tape sealing off the area, and what I thought was the end of an AU shuttle poking out," he said in an e-mail. "I walked a little bit closer, and sure enough, saw a shuttle parked in the middle of a flower bed. And next to it was a shattered brick column"
