A man died and several other people were injured in a crash that involved a big-rig and a shuttle bus in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood this morning.
The big-rig was headed north on Octavia Boulevard at about 6:20 a.m. when it collided with a University of California at San Francisco shuttle bus taking people to work at San Francisco General Hospital, police Lt. Troy Dangerfield said.
A white man in his 40s was ejected from the shuttle bus and died at the scene, Dangerfield said. As of 8 a.m., his body was still underneath the big-rig, covered by a yellow tarp.
Assistant Fire Chief Art Kenney said he believes the man killed was a doctor, and that the shuttle bus was traveling east down Oak Street when the accident happened.
Police said they are still investigating how the crash happened.
Kenney estimated that there were about a dozen people on the shuttle.
Three other passengers -- two women and a man -- were taken to San Francisco General Hospital right after the crash. The man driving the shuttle was taken to the hospital later with minor injuries, Kenney said.
San Francisco General Hospital spokesman Tristan Cook said the three initial patients range in age from 58 to 85 years old, and all are in fair or good condition.
The driver of the big-rig was not injured.
The big-rig, which was carrying several cars, suffered damage to the left front end. The front right side of the shuttle bus near the door was crushed inward and a side window was broken.
San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes Hayes Valley, was at the scene of the accident this morning.
Like police, he was still trying to learn the circumstances of the crash but said he is aware of the dangers of Octavia Boulevard.
He said Octavia is "a fabulous boulevard, but it has its challenges, especially for drivers who aren't familiar with San Francisco and rely on GPS."
Mirkarimi also brought up the issue of seat belts on shuttle buses.
In today's crash, he said, "Quite clearly a seat belt could have potentially helped."
Kenney said the UCSF shuttle did not have seat belts.
Octavia Boulevard was shut down between Market and Fell streets after the crash, and remained closed until shortly after 11 a.m.
