Car strikes stationary N bus at Sitterson stop

Chapel Hill Transit has one less bus operating in its fleet of 99 today after a car hit an N bus from behind at a campus bus stop.

Diane Denise Ramsey, 56, was traveling at 25 miles per hour in a 1999 Mercedes when she collided into the rear of Bus 806 while passengers were boarding at 5:12 p.m. Monday.

According to the Division of Motor Vehicles incident report, Ramsey had not realized the bus was stopped while she attempted to change lanes. Ramsey could not be reached for comment.

Randy Young, spokesman for UNC’s Department of Public Safety, said there were no injuries. Both vehicles were towed after the accident.

“The bus was stopped near the ROTC and Sitterson Hall bus stop and was struck by a car traveling northbound on South Columbia Street,” Young said. “The motor vehicle changed lanes and impacted the back of the bus in the righthand lane.”

After the wreck, the bus was cleared of passengers due to leaking fluids from Ramsey’s car. They were loaded onto a replacement bus minutes later.

“As soon as an incident like this happens, the bus operator contacts dispatch, the bus is towed and another bus immediately takes its place,” said Brian Litchfield, assistant director of Chapel Hill Transit.

“As of today the bus has not been reviewed by the maintenance department.”

Litchfield said at this time, he could not provide a full report.

“The incident is an ongoing investigation, and once the report is complete it will go into the (driver’s) file,” he said.

“We review every incident, big or small, when it comes to our fleet. This is definitely one.”

While no physical injuries occurred, the damage from the accident was costly.

“Many of the bus’s major components are in its rear, so we don’t know the full extent of the damage as of yet — whether it will be back on the road or if it’s done for,” Litchfield said.

He said the damages to the bus amounted to roughly $5,000.

The damage to Ramsey’s vehicle has amounted to roughly $6,000, the report states.

“Accidents are frequent in general in Chapel Hill,” Young said.

“But on campus, with the amount of traffic these buses deal with and being intertwined in that, Chapel Hill Transit buses are occasionally struck.”

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