San Francisco tour bus crashes in Union Square, multiple injuries [ ] Hide Caption [ ] Show Caption Photos: (KTVU) Mobile App KTVU San Francisco tour bus crashes in Union Squre, injuries reported Multiple people have been injured, at least six critically, after a tour bus crash at Post & Stockton in downtown San Francisco at Union Square. 
 
 - 20 people were injured when a double-decker tour bus crashed at the busy Union Square intersection of Post & Stockton in San Francisco Friday afternoon, according to police. San Francisco Police Department said six of those injured are in critical condition. The crash was reported at 2:57 p.m. 
 
 SFPD spokesman Albie Esparza said the bus was seen traveling at a high rate of speed when it lost control and continued to crash into a bicyclist, at least two pedestrians, and several cars before it came to a stop when it ran into scaffolding at a nearby construction site. Witnesses described the bus driving erratically. 
 
 The driver of the wayward tour bus that crashed into five vehicles is said to be in critical condition. It is not known if the bus driver had a prior medical condition. Investigators said the driver will be tested for drugs and alcohol. 
 
 SF Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said it was too early to speculate about what caused him to lose control. The driver was conscious and able to speak when firefighters pulled him from the wreckage, Hayes-White said. 
 
 "The police department will investigate what those circumstances involved, whether it was mechanical failure, whether it was driver error. It's way too early to tell right now," she said. 
 
 
 
 Officer Esparza couldn't immediately say which bus company owned the vehicle. 
 
 The fire department said six people had to be extricated, at least two of them from underneath the bus as well as one trapped on the top deck. As many as 30 people were believed to have been on board when the vehicle went out of control, officials said. 
 
 SF Fire Dept. spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge updated the situation saying three people had suffered moderate to life threatening injuries, and that no children were injured. 
 
 Talmadge said a minimum of five cars are totaled and that the bus lost control for several blocks striking some pedestrians and the cyclist along the way. The cyclist is said to be among those who are critically injured. 
 
 Ambulances responded to 260 Stockton in front of Tiffany's on the same block where the former Levi's store is under construction to make way for a new Apple store. 
 
 John Zimmer, who works at the park, said the bus didn't seem to slow until it hit the construction scaffolding. 
 
 
 
 He said he and others tried to put up a perimeter to keep tourists and others away from the live electrical lines until authorities arrived. 
 
 
 
 Hoda Emam said she rounded a corner at the square immediately after the crash to see a chaotic scene unfolding, with emergency workers sprinting toward the injured as emergency vehicles arrived with their sirens blaring. Wrecked cars were scattered along the bus' path. 
 
 SFPD said Post Street is shutdown from the 200 to 500 blocks. Triage had been set up at the scene, but all the patients were said to have been taken to area hospitals. 
 
 Due to the SFPD activity in the area, Muni lines 8, 30, 38, 38R, & 45 may see delays due to residual traffic on nearby streets. 
 
 The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Fire officials added that overhead power lines are down in the area. PG&E is also at the scene. ||||| Tour bus hit scaffolding in Union Square SF. Corner of Post and Stockton cc. @KatieABC7 @abc7newsBayArea pic.twitter.com/yjh0zQYUtq — M?nica Quiroz (@monica) November 14, 2015 
 
 SF Fire Dept. says driver of bus was driving erratically for at least one block before hitting scaffolding. pic.twitter.com/RMGgMmunWC — Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) November 14, 2015 
 
 Number of injuries from #accident near Union Square: 20. pic.twitter.com/YKQkvjdBq9 — Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) November 14, 2015 
 
 Tour bus hit scaffolding in Union Square SF. Corner of Post and Stockton cc. @KatieABC7 @abc7newsBayArea pic.twitter.com/yjh0zQYUtq — M?nica Quiroz (@monica) November 14, 2015 
 
 SFPD: tour bus was speeding & out of control; unknown if mechanical prob or driver health prob. @abc7newsBayArea pic.twitter.com/DnTBFLr9yM — Katie Marzullo (@KatieABC7) November 14, 2015 
 
 On scene at #UnionSquare where tour bus hit scaffolding & other cars. 18 people hurt. @abc7newsBayArea pic.twitter.com/wTKmqfQFYm — Katie Marzullo (@KatieABC7) November 14, 2015 
 
 Twenty people were injured, including six critically, after a tour bus collided with several vehicles at a construction site in downtown San Francisco. The crash happened Friday afternoon at Post and Stockton streets where a new Apple store is being built.Officials say all six of those with critical injuries are being treated at San Francisco General Hospital. They include four men and two women between 20 and 60 years of age. The other 14 victims were taken to other hospitals.According to officials, the driver of that open-air double-decker bus was driving erratically and speeding for at least two blocks before ending at the site.Police say he hit a bicyclist, who is in critical condition, before hitting several vehicles and scaffolding which then fell on more cars and people. That scaffolding is part of construction at the site of the new Apple store."According to eyewitnesses, they saw the bus, which is double-decker open-air bus, driving erratically down Post Street," said San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Mindy Talmadge. "In the process, a few vehicles were struck then the bus came to rest against some scaffolding which fell into the street."First responders had to pull people out because they were pinned beneath the bus and scaffolding."It was like a bomb going off. It just kept going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom like it wasn't gonna stop," witness John Zimmer said.Police say they will investigate to determine what caused this accident."We will look at everything," said Officer Albie Esparza. "We will look at any mechanical malfunctions, we will look at any DUI or alcohol or narcotics as standard operating procedures go for collisions."Officials say some victims were treated at the scene but others, including the driver and the bicyclist, were taken to the hospital.The hospital has said very little about the nature of their injuries, but a source inside San Francisco general filled us in on some of the details. Of the five critical patients, two have major head injuries and one has an extremely serious broken leg. Those three patients are scheduled to be in surgery on Saturday.Friends and family members of some of the victims were at the hospital Friday evening.There were earlier reports that PG&E; lines had been affected, but that is not the case. The lines that fell belong to Muni, so crews were busy Friday evening repairing them.It took hours to remove the scaffolding and tow away the damaged vehicles, so streets in the area were closed until late Friday night. ||||| At least 20 people were injured when a tour bus crashed in San Francisco's Union Square Friday afternoon, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. Jean Elle reports. (Published Friday, Nov. 13, 2015) 
 
 A double-decker tourist bus careened wildly out of control Friday in San Francisco's crowded Union Square, running down a bicyclist, at least two pedestrians and striking several cars before it plowed into scaffolding lining a construction site. Twenty people were hurt, including six critically. 
 
 Twelve people suffered minor injuries in the crash that happened just before 3 p.m., San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. The others suffered moderate injuries. 
 
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 Union Square was crowded with shoppers and tourists when, according to eyewitnesses, the bus came roaring across two city blocks at a high rate of speed. It struck several moving vehicles in its path as well as the bicyclist and the two pedestrians, the latter ending up trapped underneath the vehicle after it plowed into the scaffolding. 
 
 It also knocked down several power lines used to propel the city's fleet of electrical buses. 
 
 Firefighters had to extricate the two people under the bus as well as one trapped on the top deck, Hayes-White said. As many as 30 people were believed to have been on board when the vehicle went out of control, officials said. 
 
 The driver was conscious and able to speak when firefighters pulled him from the wreckage, Hayes-White said. But she added it was too early to speculate about what caused him to lose control. 
 
 "The police department will investigate what those circumstances involved, whether it was mechanical failure, whether it was driver error. It's way too early to tell right now," she said. 
 
 Calls and messages for the bus operator, City Sightseeing San Francisco, weren't immediately returned. 
 
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 Union Square is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations with several high-end stores, including Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as its Union Square Park and skating rink. The scaffolding was in front of what is going to be a new Apple store. 
 
 John Zimmer, who works at the park, said the bus didn't seem to slow until it hit the construction scaffolding. 
 
 He said he and others tried to put up a perimeter to keep tourists and others away from the live electrical lines until authorities arrived. 
 
 Hoda Emam said she rounded a corner at the square immediately after the crash to see a chaotic scene unfolding, with emergency workers sprinting toward the injured as emergency vehicles arrived with their sirens blaring. Wrecked cars were scattered along the bus' path. 
 
 "Everybody was asking what's going on," said Emam, a Bay Area resident in San Francisco on personal business. "There were still ambulances and fire trucks and paramedics with stretchers coming up." 
 
 Police officers were on top of the double-decker bus apparently attending to the injured, she said, adding that another three or four people lay in the street being treated. 
 
 Six of the injured are in critical condition and being treated at San Francisco General Hospital, hospital spokesman Brent Andrew said. They are three men and three women between the ages of 20 and 60, he said. 
 
 Three of the injured were sent to the emergency room at St. Francis Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Robin O'Connor said. She declined to provide any further information, citing privacy issues. 
 
 Copyright Associated Press
– At least 19 people are injured—five critically—after a double-decker tour bus lost control and crashed into a construction site in San Francisco's popular Union Square on Friday, KTVU reports. It's unknown what caused the open-air bus to lose control, but it traveled several blocks afterward, hitting cars, pedestrians, and a bicyclist before finally stopping. According to ABC7, the bus was finally stopped by some scaffolding, which fell into the street. A witness says they saw people falling from the scaffolding. KTVU reports at least three people were trapped under the bus after it crashed, and at least five cars were totaled as it careened down the street. Victims had to be extricated from four damaged cars, according to ABC7. NBC Bay Area reports there were approximately 30 people on the tour bus when it crashed. An investigation is ongoing into what caused the bus to lose control.