< Back to front page Text size – +

Pedestrian critical after MBTA bus collision in Back Bay

E-mail|Link December 11, 2009 02:00 PM

By Globe Staff

A 54-year-old pedestrian remains in intensive care this afternoon after a collision with an MBTA bus early this morning near Copley Place in the Back Bay.

The collision occurred near the intersection of Huntington Avenue and Ring Road shortly after 12 a.m., according to a press release issued by the Suffolk district attorney's office. The man's injuries did not appear to be life threatening, but he remains in the intensive care unit at Boston Medical Center.

The Route 9 bus was traveling west on Huntington at a low rate of speed, according to a preliminary investigation. Witnesses told investigators that the man was running toward the bus just as it was turning onto Ring Road. The bus driver told investigators he felt an impact and immediately hit the brakes.

Authorities did not release the name of the 50-year-old bus driver, who has been working for the MBTA for five years. He will be tested for drug or alcohol impairment, as is standard policy for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Investigators did not detect any signs of drug or alcohol impairment after the collision, according to the press release.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an e-mail that "a man came in contact with the right rear quarter of the bus as it was taking a turn onto Ring Road." The Route 9 bus did not have any passengers on board, Pesaturo said.