My local hang out hit by bus!

[bugsy98nb]

Snipped for the local paper , Kinda Freaky i was there this last sunday with some friends celebrating my B day hope everyone is ok .

DOWNTOWN TOLEDO
6 hurt when TARTA bus hits car, downtown bar; accident is under investigation
By MEGHAN GILBERT and DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


Six people were hurt, one seriously, last night when a TARTA bus crashed into Caesar's Show Bar at Jefferson Avenue and Ontario Street in downtown Toledo, police said.


The bus, with six people aboard, was eastbound on Jefferson just after 6 p.m. when it swerved to avoid a car that was southbound on Ontario, did a rolling stop at the intersection, and pulled into the path of the bus, police said

The bus hit the car's passenger side, then struck an old fire pumper truck belonging to the bar's owner, which was parked in front of the bar. The fire truck was pushed into the car's passenger side as the bus crashed through the front entrance of the bar, 725 Jefferson, police said.

The bus driver, Glenice Jones, 51, was trapped inside for about five minutes and needed to be extricated. She was taken to Toledo Hospital with a cut on her leg and possible broken bones, said Jim Gee, the transit authority's general manager. She was in fair condition last night, a hospital spokesman said.

Willie Bellamy, 83, of 649 Western Ave., the passenger in the car, was flown to the Medi-cal University of Ohio Medical Center. The driver of the car, Mary Jarvis, 58, also of the Western address, Ms. Bellamy's daughter, was taken to MUO Medical Center by ambulance. Ms. Bellamy was admitted in serious conditon; Ms. Jarvis was treated.

Two bus passengers - Kenneth May, 27, of 3279 Glenwood Ave. and Brittany Pointer, 25, of 1920 Collingwood Blvd. - were treated at Toledo Hospital. Another bus passenger, Kenneth Blake, 34, of 2110 Chase St., was taken to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, where he was undergoing treatment last night.



Chris and Angela Murphy witnessed the crash.

"We were getting ready to get on the bus, but we decided to walk instead," Chris Murphy said. "We were a block away. We saw it. It sounded like a big explosion."

Joseph Wicks, the nightclub's owner, said about 15 patrons were inside at the time but none in the smoking lounge, also known as the VIP room, at the front of the building when the bus crashed through the wall. Nobody inside was hurt.

Considering the damage, Fire Chief Mike Bell said all involved were lucky. He estimated damage to the bar at about $20,000.

But Mr. Wicks said it could cost him up to $300,000.

"It's an historic building and the truck was a historic truck," he said. "It took out the whole entranceway."

The club was made famous by the Kenny Rogers' song "Lucille" as the "bar in Toledo across from the depot" and was one of the city's first opera houses, Mr. Wicks said.

The bus remained lodged in the building for about two hours until a city building inspector could determine whether the structure was sound enough for it to be removed. A TARTA tow truck slowly pulled the bus from the building about 7:45 p.m. revealing a hole where the main doors used to be.

But the damage wasn't as bad as Christina Mlynarek, a Witmer High School junior, thought it would be. She comes to the club often to take photos every time there is an event there and rushed downtown once she heard what happened. "I was expecting a giant gaping hole," she said while watching from outside. "It looks worse inside."

Inside, the walls of the front lounge were buckled in, Christmas decorations were toppled, and the inside of the bus could be seen.

Authorities said the helicopter was called because the closest hospital emergency room, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, initially was unavailable because it had too many patients.

The chopper landed in a parking lot adjacent to the crash scene.

Mr. Gee said Ms. Jones is a seven-year TARTA veteran with a clean driving record.

The bus was on an inbound trip for Route 26D, which follows Douglas Road, Berdan Avenue, Collingwood, and Jefferson into downtown. The crash remains under investigation, police said.

[dnyed]

Stupid drivers. Rolling stop? Sorry for the innocent bus passengers, but car is at fault.

[bugfreak]

wow. that's bizzare, and to happen on your b-day. well, it's one you won't forget- that's for sure. just be glad you weren't by the entry.

[Ghia_Roadster]

whoops! I knew i had felt something! slightly used bus, any one?

[yellowherbie]

Sorry J, that's gotta suck!!

Thanks so much for the little gift you mailed me...

You Rock!

[bugsy98nb]

update
from toledo blade :

Joseph Wicks walked through Caesar's Show Bar yesterday as contractors ripped off the front facade damaged the night before by a TARTA bus.


"It looks like an atom bomb," he said as he stepped on glass shards and other debris and into the damaged smoking lounge inside the downtown nightspot that once was Burt's Theater.

Despite an estimated $165,000 in damage - not including repairs to the cracked outdoor sign - Mr. Wicks hopes to reopen as early as tomorrow and host weekend entertainment.

Contractors spent the day tossing debris into a Dumpster in front of the bar on Jefferson Avenue and buttoning up a hole caused by the bus during an accident that injured six people, one seriously.

Police said a car southbound on Ontario Street did a rolling stop at the intersection and pulled into the path of the bus, which was eastbound on Jefferson. The bus swerved to avoid the car, hit the passenger side, and struck an old fire pumper belonging to Mr. Wicks that was parked in front of the bar. The pumper was pushed into the passenger side of the car as the bus crashed through the bar's front entrance, police said.

The car's passenger, Willie Bellamy, 83, of South Toledo was in serious condition in Medical University of Ohio Medical Center. Her daughter, Mary Jarvis, 58, who lives with Ms. Bellamy, was treated in MUO Medical Center.

The bus driver, Glenice Jones, 51, who was extricated, was treated in Toledo Hospital. The other injured people were treated in local hospitals.

Edward Ellis, 50, of East Toledo told police yesterday he was sitting in the back of the bus when it crashed. He was at the accident scene, but he didn't say anything because he was wanted on arrest warrants. He cleared up the warrants, then went to police, Officer Dave McClellan said. He said Mr. Ellis was to seek treatment at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.

Police plan to review video from the bus and a business that may have caught the accident on tape.

When Ms. Jones slammed on the brakes, the motion shook the recorder on the bus. The device didn't record again until after the bus hit the bar, Sgt. Paul Kerschbaum said.

Police said Ms. Jarvis probably will be charged with failure to yield to a stop sign.


Glad they are going to be able to fix the building .
ps.
Laurie Your welcome