BALTIMORE _ Six people were killed and 10 more injured Tuesday morning when a school bus veered into oncoming traffic in southwest Baltimore and ripped through the side of a Maryland Transit Administration bus, police said.
The school bus driver and five people on the MTA bus died in the crash in Irvington, officials said. The two buses collided before 7 a.m. local time and remained jack-knifed into each other hours later. A bystander said the force of the collision "shook the ground."
"It literally looks like a bomb exploded in the bus, and it's catastrophic damage," police spokesman T.J. Smith said.
No students were on the school bus during the crash, officials said.
Five patients were being treated the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center as of 11:30 a.m. One person was in critical condition, another was in serious condition and three were stable, said Dr. Deborah M. Stein, MD, MPH, Chief of Trauma and Director Neurotrauma Critical Care Shock Trauma.
One patient is an adult male of unknown age, and four female patients, ages from mid-20s to 40s, Stein said. The injuries are typical for motor vehicle crashes, she said.
At least two patients will remain at the hospital, one will stay for observation, one will stay for a short period, and one will likely be discharged, Stein said.
"Given the nature of the incident, we certainly had all hands on deck," she said.
The victims were taken to the hospital right at the change of shift, but those employees who worked overnight shifts remained to make sure everything was covered, Stein said. Stein said she did not say where the other injured crash victims were taken.
Many Baltimore students rely on MTA buses to get to school, but officials could not immediately say how many students regularly ride the No. 10 bus.
That bus route connects Catonsville in Western Baltimore County through downtown Baltimore and Fells Point to Turner Station in Dundalk in Eastern Baltimore County.
The school bus, contracted by the Baltimore City Public Schools, was headed east on Frederick Avenue when it struck a Ford Mustang and a pillar on the side of the road, Smith said.
The school bus entered oncoming traffic and smashed through the driver's side of the MTA bus, he said.
The crash rocked nearby Loudon Park Cemetery, Superintendent Matt Wagster said.
"It sounded like a train wreck," he said. "It was loud and it shook the ground."
Officials can't speculate on the cause of the crash yet, Smith said, but it is not a crime scene and there is no indication of foul play.
Injured were an aide on the school bus, eight people on the MTA bus and the driver of the Mustang, Smith said. Their injuries ranged from minor to critical, he said.
Police Commissioner Kevin Davis described the scene as "complicated" and said it was "going to take a lot of resources to get to the bottom of what happened." He said emergency officials would remain on the scene throughout the day.
"It's important to keep the families in mind and the folks who lost their lives," Davis said.
Keith Scroggins, chief operating officer of Baltimore City Public Schools, said the school bus driver worked for Baltimore-based AA Affordable Transportation, and was on his way to pick up his first student, en route to Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary School in Barclay.
AA Affordable Transportation provides curb-to-curb services for students with special needs and homeless students. The bus in the crash Tuesday morning also takes students to Roots and Branches Charter School. The city school system contracts with seven bus companies.
AA Affordable owner Mark Williams said a "handful" of drivers are contracted by city schools.
Williams said the driver in Tuesday's crash had a good driving record.
Officials declined to answer further questions, saying the company and its drivers were grieving.
Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford said the scene was unlike anything his first responders had ever seen.
"There are still portions of the bus that our people have not been able to fully access," he said during a briefing.
Smith said the school bus driver and the aide were the only two people on the school bus at the time of the crash. Thirteen people are believed to have been on the MTA bus, he said.
"It is a pretty horrific scene," he said.
Smith said he did not know if speed was a factor in the crash.
"There aren't any skid marks, so something catastrophic took place," he said.
Police hope to ask the school bus aide what happened just prior to the crash, Smith said.
Kevin Travers, 55, a maintenance worker at St. Joseph's Monastery nearby, had walked past the scene just before the crash. He went inside the maintenance building at the intersection of Frederick Avenue and South Morley Street about 6:15 a.m., and then heard the police helicopter overhead about 15 minutes later.
"It happened real fast," Travers said.
Mary Schruefer, 60, an administrator at Mountain Manor Treatment Center, a drug addition counseling facility at the monastery, peered down at the crash scene from a side road.
"That's horrible," she said. "It just opened up the side of the bus."
The scene is about two blocks from Mount St. Joseph High School. The school already was scheduled to open an hour late Tuesday for All Saints Day. The opening was not delayed further, school officials said.
City Councilwoman Helen Holton, who represents the area, said she was waiting for more information.
"I'm just devastated _ period," the longtime councilwoman said. "The fact that a school bus and MTA bus were involved, it is just tragic, horrific.
"Families will be destroyed out of this, people going about their normal routines. At this hour, if you're on the bus, you're going to work or school."
Gov. Larry Hogan pledged to support Baltimore police in the investigation.
"The First Lady and I are deeply saddened to hear of the horrific crash this morning in Southwest Baltimore involving a school bus and an MTA commuter bus," Hogan said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families in the wake of this tragedy. We will continue to pray for those who were injured, as well as the first responders who worked swiftly and continue to care for the injured.
"Our administration gives our full support to the Baltimore City Police Department as they investigate, and we are prepared to offer any state assistance necessary."
