A bus crash in Chapel Hill sent one person to the hospital with injuries on Tuesday afternoon, according to the town government.
A release after 5 p.m. on Tuesday said Chapel Hill Police responded to a reported crash of a Chapel Hill Transit bus at 2:48 p.m. along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Photos from the scene shared on social media showed a bus on the wrong side of the sidewalk, tipping down a bank and having damaged a utility pole along the southbound lane of MLK Jr. Boulevard near Umstead Drive.
According to the town’s release, the person injured suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, which is being investigated. Chapel Hill did include in Tuesday’s release the crash happened after the bus driver left the vehicle near Bolinwood Drive. Then, the bus began to roll down the hill toward Umstead Drive and through the intersection before running off the road.

Photo via Charles Pettee.
The Chapel Hill Transit driver is being placed on leave as the investigation continues, said the town government.
“We’re grateful no one was seriously hurt this afternoon,” said Chapel Hill Transit Director Brian Litchfield. “The safety of our customers and community is our greatest responsibility. Now, we turn our attention to learning what led to this.”
No additional details are being made public as of Tuesday evening by the town government.
Featured photo via Charles Pettee.
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If the bus was at the Bolinwood bus stop when the driver got off, that’s a very LONG ways away from where the bus ended. It’s obvious what happened. Bus driver didn’t secure the bus, hopped off, and the bus rolled away. This should be treated criminally.
Or we can wait for the investigation rather than assuming we know all.