Seven people, including six seniors, were transported to the hospital following a crash in Antioch Thursday afternoon, fire officials said.
The crash, which involved a Tri Delta Transit bus and an SUV, happened just after 12:30 p.m. on Laurel Road near Highway 4, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said.
Tri Delta Transit COO Toan Tran said on Thursday that the bus was carrying was six seniors on their way home from the Antioch Senior Center at the time of the incident.
"As he [ the bus driver] was making a left turn, another vehicle ran a red light and hit our vehicle on the side," Tran said.
All six seniors inside the bus suffered injuries and had to be taken to the hospital. Tran said that the bus driver jumped into action.
"He did everything by the book, he was shocked," Tran said. "Once he found out the vehicle is leaking gasoline, his instinct kicked in and the first thing he did was try to get the clients out of the vehicle and make sure they were safe."
Before the crash, the seniors were at the Antioch Senior Center, which has several activities, including lunch, bingo and a live band.
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"People are in here, dancing, talking and having a good time," said Doug Graham, a volunteer at the Antioch Senior Center. "It's a lively band, some people go outside because it’s too lively."
In fact, the bus driver said the seniors were singing songs when the crash happened.
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"He's been transporting this group for a couple of months now and he said this is the one thing he looks forward to everyday. So he’s really sad that this happened," Tran said.
At the Antioch Senior Center, folks are hoping their friends recover soon. They got a positive perspective.
"We’re at that age where anything can happen, any day. Every day is a blessing, every day is a blessing. Best wishes. God be with you," Graham said.
