Twenty-one people were hospitalized following a crash involving a Coast Regional Transit Authority bus in Myrtle Beach on the morning of Tuesday, June 15, 2015. The bus was traveling near the corner of U.S. Highway 501 and Robert Grissom Parkway when it collided with an automobile, causing extensive property damage and resulting in many injuries. No one was killed in the crash, and all inured parties were transported to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment following the incident.
At least one person on board the bus became trapped as a result of the crash, which occurred when the person driving the automobile—a late-model Lexus—was moving northward on U.S. Highway 501 and attempting to make a left-hand turn onto Robert Grissom Parkway. The bus, which was traveling southward on U.S. Highway 501, was unable to evade collision, as the Lexus driver had failed to properly yield right-of-way. This resulted in a T-bone collision and numerous injured parties. Witnesses to the crash reported that a baby was in the back seat of the automobile at the time of the crash, but there is no word as to whether the infant was among the injured.
Myrtle Beach City Police continue to investigate the collision, and the Coast Regional Transit Authority has stated that the agency will do everything possible to aid in the police investigation. The roadway at Robert Grissom Parkway and U.S. Highway 501 remained partially closed for two hours following the accident as rescue crews came to transport victims to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, and road crews worked to clear accident debris from the roadway.
Police have acknowledged that the summer months bring an increase in tourism and thus, traffic to the Myrtle Beach area, which is a popular vacation hot spot. According to a report published by the National Traffic Safety Administration, 215 buses were involved in roadway collisions in the state of South Carolina in 2009, the last year for which data was made available. Of these, 58 crashes resulted in injury and one resulted in fatality.