At least ten people were injured Friday afternoon — four seriously — when a car plowed into a Chinatown bus stop, San Francisco firefighters and police said.
The driver of the car — a Toyota sedan — was also among the injured.
Five people were transported to San Francisco General Hospital, four of whom are currently in serious, but not critical, condition. Two people were taken to Saint Francis hospital and three people were treated at the scene.
SF General officials said that the first patient was brought in right after the crash around 1 p.m. Three women and one man suffered serious injuries, and another woman is being evaluated, officials said. Their ages range from their 30s to their mid-80s, with injuries ranging from fractures to cuts and scrapes. The patients are being tested for internal injuries.
"It would be possible to imagine a whole lot of things when a car hits a human body. But what we're seeing is patients in sever discomfort but life signs fairly stable," said hospital spokesperson Brent Andrew.
Firefighters tweeted about the accident at 12:50 p.m. at Stockton and Sacramento streets where shops and restaurants with Chinese writing on the awnings and windows dot the street. Originally, firefighters said five people suffered major injuries.
Stockton st totally blocked off at Sacramento and Clay. pic.twitter.com/R6beRTVJKG
— Carolyn Grabill (@CarolynCodes) December 16, 2016
LIVE: Aerial view of Toyota slammed into Chinatown bus stop where 9 injured, 2 taken to hospital in critical. https://t.co/kO11tswgHB? pic.twitter.com/FJ4P1cy3Bd
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 16, 2016
#Breaking: Nine people were injured on Friday afternoon when a car plowed into a Chinatown bus: stop.https://t.co/aARd7N0O5z pic.twitter.com/Wbzr4kIGBO
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 16, 2016
SF General treating 5 patients, 4 of whom suffered serious injuries when a car crashed into a bus stop. https://t.co/znvIMd9weY pic.twitter.com/nWraUAFCsm
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 16, 2016
San Francisco Supervisor, Aaron Peskin, who was in the area and started to direct traffic, said there was a Toyota sedan on the sidewalk and many bleeding victims.
Peskin said he helped load a woman into the ambulance, with apparently seriously injuries to the legs, bleeding from her face.
The incident was treated as a "red alert," which meant that all ambulances in the city (public and private) become available to assist with 911 calls.
