Photo by Dan Pritchard via Twitter.com

CALIFORNIA BEAT STAFF REPORT

A collision between a semi-truck and a MUNI Light Rail Vehicle traveling southbound on the T-Third line that sent seven people to the hospital Tuesday afternoon was caused by the driver of the big rig who made an illegal left turn right into the train’s path.

The incident occurred at the intersection of 3rd and 22nd Streets near Potrero Hill in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood at around 3:35 p.m. A southbound T-Third train was heading towards the Bayview/ Hunters Point neighborhood when the semi-truck turned in front of the streetcar from the right traffic lane.

The streetcar then collided with the cab of the big-rig. Twelve people suffered injuries as a result of the collision. Seven of them were taken to area hospitals with moderate to minor injuries, according to the San Francisco Fire Dept., which summoned a half-dozen ambulances once a “Mass Casualty” call was issued.

The intersection was blocked off by San Francisco Police as passengers were treated for their injuries. Service on the T-Third line was interrupted for about an hour following, the incident but MUNI established a bus bridge to ferry passengers around the accident scene.

Service on the T-Third line was restored at around 4:45 p.m., according to a MUNI spokesperson.

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The Fire Dept. called Tuesday afternoon’s incident “minor” and damage to both the streetcar and the big rig did not appear to be extensive.

The MUNI LRV operator was tested for drugs and alcohol following the incident. An investigation by the Police Dept. and the California PUC which oversees rail operations in the state is underway to officially determine what happened in the incident.

Numerous signs are posted warning motorists that left turns are illegal at the intersection and that streetcars are travelling beside them in a guarded median.

A San Francisco Fire Dept. spokesperson told reporters that accidents involving cars and the T-Third trains are not uncommon and that they do respond to calls involving LRVs and automobiles colliding with each other on the streetcar corridor.

When the T-Third line began operating in early 2007, officials with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority set up traffic signs and conducted a driver education program for motorists traveling on Third St. warning them to watch out for streetcars.

Left-turn lane pockets on the thoroughfare have signs and mirrors giving motorists a heads up that light rail vehicles — which are given signal priority at intersections — run in a guarded median in the center of the roadway.

The big rig truck driver involved in Tuesday’s incident did not speak with reporters after the incident. The truck he was driving is owned and operated by Oklahoma-based John Christner Trucking.

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