At least 31 injured in Lincoln Tunnel rush-hour bus accident

Dozens were injured in a Lincoln Tunnel bus accident on Wednesday, June 10, 2015, officials said. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Angela Weiss

More than 30 people were injured when a NJ Transit bus rear ended a Canadian tour bus inside the Lincoln Tunnel on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The buses were headed toward the city from the New Jersey side when they collided in the center tube at about 9:45 a.m, an FDNY spokesman said.

“Everyone was conscious,” said Jae hood Chung, 49, a passenger on the NJ Transit bus. Chung said they were trapped on the bus until rescue workers were able to cut open the door. Several windows were broken, he added.

A total of 31 people were taken to three area hospitals with 22 people going to Bellevue Hospital Center, five going to Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital, and four going to Lenox Hill Hospital. Most people suffered a neck or back injury, said Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo.

Several others, including a pregnant woman, refused medical attention at the scene. All injuries were non-life threatening, but four people needed to be taken out on stretchers, authorities said.

There were two pregnant women on another bus not involved in the accident that got stuck in the tunnel, said Port Authority Police Captain Richard Gutch. One of those woman started having contractions and was taken to Roosevelt Hospital.

The tour bus, owned by Canadian-based Denny’s Bus Lines, originated in Ontario, Co-Owner Brian Denny said. They stopped in New Jersey overnight, Denny said, and were headed into the city for a sightseeing day trip.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on either bus.

The center tube, where the accident occurred, was closed with traffic being diverted to the south tube. Long delays snagged the Wednesday morning commute, but Gutch said he did not anticipate any problems for the evening rush hour.

(With Cristian Salazar)