Medical center shuttle bus crash kills 1, injures 11

About 5:45 p.m. yesterday a shuttle bus used to transport people who work in the Houston Medical Center crashed into a utility pole, killing a person standing next to the pole and injuring 11 people on the shuttle bus. The wreck, at Holcombe and Braeswood, appears to have been the result of the shuttle bus driver losing control due to some medical condition. A Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief told Channel 11 that it appears a passenger on the bus tried to steer the vehicle after the driver lost control. People who witnessed the crash, both pedestrians and other drivers, rushed to try and assist the woman who was pinned but despite their efforts they were unable to physically push the wrecked bus off her. The passengers in the bus were trapped because the doors would not open and had to be forced open. A total of 17 people were on the bus: 11 were taken for medical attention. The passenger who bravely attempted to control the bus suffered a wrist injury. The name of the woman who died in the accident has not yet been released. Channel 11's story did not identify the entity that operated the shuttle bus service. Channel 2's story. 

Update: the deceased pedestrian victim has been identified as Carlet Blake, aged 43, an insurance specialist who worked at MD Anderson in the medical center. According to Channel 11, Ms. Blake's funeral will be held next Saturday in Beaumont. The driver of the shuttle has also been identified: he is 54-year old Henry Foots.

Update: the operator of the shuttle service is SLL Transportation, LLC in Houston, Texas. The company's web site indicates that they carry "high limit insurance." 

daragh@daraghcarter.com

A woman standing next to this utility was killed when she was struck by an
out-of-control shuttle bus in the medical center. 111 others were injured.