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AT least 12 people have been hurt in a multi-bus crash outside a buzzing New York City terminal in the middle of the morning rush hour.
Two coach buses smashed into each other around 6 am Wednesday morning, causing a pile-up that completely shut down traffic, fire officials say.
The wreck took place near West 41st Street near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan, WNBC reported.
First responders raced to the scene to help the injured victims get out of the mangled buses and rushed one commuter to the hospital to be assessed.
That victim had “moderate” injuries but is expected to recover. Everyone else who was hurt appeared to have minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department.
“One patient had moderate injuries and required extrication,” FDNY Deputy Chief Jason Saffon told CBS affiliate WBCS on the scene.
“Ten patients with minor injuries, they were all transported to local area hospitals. One patient refused medical aid.”
One of the bus drivers may have had a medical emergency that caused the crash, sources told the outlet.
However, the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Saffon said emergency responders initially had problems rushing to the scene due to the backed up traffic.
“We worked with the Port Authority Police to open up the exit ramp so that we could go up the wrong way and get our ambulances up there,” said Saffon.
Videos shared on the public safety app Citizen show emergency vehicles gathering at the scene.
“We were stuck in the tunnel for about 15 minutes,” one witness told WCBS.
“There was a bunch of fire trucks up there and a whole bunch of other cops and everything.”
The NJ Transit posted that bus service to and from the NY Port Authority will be diverted to other stops.