DENVER – An RTD bus driver sustained minor injuries Sunday after part of a bridge collapsed on top of the vehicle.
The driver of a Flatiron Flyer bus reportedly went the wrong way out of the transit center at Denver International Airport at around 6:19 a.m. and went down a road where larger vehicles aren't supposed to drive through, a DIA spokesperson told Denver7.
Images from the scene of the accident show the Flatiron Flyer bus partly lodged in the nine-foot high bridge, with a piece of the bridge on top of it.
RTD bus drives into parking garage bridge. Bus didn’t have height clearance and a piece of bridge fell onto bus. Driver was the only one on board. He has minor injuries. #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/qd5XeJDpB4
— AlanS7 (@AlanStedman7) April 29, 2018
Another view. Yikes! Clearance is 9’. #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/OwWpsGnibn
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) April 29, 2018
Both RTD and DIA officials told Denver7 the driver, identified as 56-year-old Johnie Watkins, was the only person on board.
The bus was part of the shuttle bus system that is in place this weekend as service to the so-called “train to the plane” is disrupted for bridge widening work.
There are minimal traffic impacts this morning after an accident involving an RTD bus on the east side of the terminal near the parking garage. Currently the bridge and roadway underneath are closed for cleanup and inspection. Drivers should follow signage around the accident.
— Denver Int'l Airport (@DENAirport) April 29, 2018
Since the road is not one the public does not generally use, officials do not expect any “large public impact” if you’re trying to get to or away from DIA.
Watkins was cited for careless driving, according to a Denver Police Department spokesperson.
Court records indicate Watkins has had a few arrests, mostly for disturbing the peace or failure to appear. The latest traffic violation stems from a 2006 incident, in which he was arrested for speeding.
