HOUSTON Traffic was snarled all day Thursday on 288 at MacGregor after a fatal crash involving a Metro bus, and TxDOT officials said late Thursday night that one lane remained closed.
The accident happened around 8:30 a.m.
Police said the bus, driven by 40-year-old David Sayers, veered off the road and hit the concrete pillar of a bridge.
Sayers died on impact, and the accordion-style bus was split in half.
No passengers were onboard the bus at the time, and no one else was injured.
Metro said Sayers, who d been an employee since 2008, had just finished his shift and was headed back to the bus barn when the accident happened.
A dump truck driver who was involved in the accident said the bus crashed after it tried to pass him. He said the bus lost control as it accelerated and clipped the dump truck on the driver s side.
Whenever [the bus driver] tried to gain control of the bus again, that is whenever he jack-knifed the second [part of the] bus and lost control of the bus completely. That s where you see he ran into the beam of the freeway, the dump truck driver said.
Sayers is survived by his wife, daughter and step-daughter.
This is a tragic day. Our first thoughts are with David s family and co-workers, said Metro President and CEO George Greanias. We will do all we can to support them through this difficult time. We are deeply committed to a safe transit system for customers, operators and our community.
Metro said Sayers had an accident-free driving record. The bus he was driving is 12 years old and has had routine maintenance checks. Metro said it s one of about 30 buses they plan to phase out this summer, not because of problems, but because they re older buses that will be replaced with a new fleet.
Some witnesses said Sayers may have been having a medical issue when he crashed, but Greanias said they ve had a number of conflicting reports.
I ve already received several conflicting reports from eyewitnesses so I m going to be very careful with what we say and what we don t say, he said.
Immediately after the accident, police shut down all but one southbound lane on 288 to conduct their investigation.
