Members of the Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority Board in Benton Harbor have been told a crash involving a Dial a Ride bus last Thursday was not the bus driver’s fault. However, that doesn’t mean the crash isn’t affecting the service’s bottom line.

TCATA Deputy Director Tressa Greschak tells us the board met Tuesday and was shown video of the crash. She says the dashcam video shows the bus had a green light as it approached the intersection of M-139 and Pipestone Avenue, and it appears a pickup ran a red light and drove into the path of the bus.

“There is no indication that our driver was at fault,” Greschak  said. “They had the green light, there was no substance abuse. In fact, reviewing the footage, we’re very proud of her response in calling the appropriate people and continually checking in on the passengers as best she could, given where she was in the incident as well.”

Greschak says the driver was injured but will recover. One of the six passengers has a “relatively serious” injury. Of the passengers, four were adults, and two were small children in a stroller. The children were not hurt. The Benton Township Fire Department did have to use the Jaws of Life to free one pickup passenger, but their injuries were minor.

The February 20 crash came just months after a crisis at Dial a Ride when it was dropped by its insurance carrier due to a high number of claims. The Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority Board in November approved a new policy for the bus service, but it came at about three times the price, and the deductible went up significantly.

Greschak tells us given the high deductible, it’s likely TCATA will have to absorb the cost of the bus repair. When asked if it can afford that, she said, “We’re working on it.” She added the total cost of the crash for Dial a Ride is still not known.

In the end, Greschak says the important thing is for the injured to have a speedy recovery, and she asks Dial a Ride passengers to use their seatbelts. While that’s not required on a bus, she says it is recommended.

You can see the dashcam video of the crash below.