A Boston University School of Management alumnus is in critical condition after trying to cross the street in front of a Route 57 bus on Friday near BU campus, officials said.
Steve Binnam Ha suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries after a Route 57 bus hit him at about 11:07 a.m. on Friday. The accident happened at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Babcock Street, said Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesman Joe Pesaturo in an email.
Witnesses saw Ha walk out in the street when pedestrians were instructed not to cross, Pesaturo said.
“Witnesses told police the bus was traveling through a green light when the man ran in front of it,” Pesaturo said. “The bus driver has not been cited for any violations.”
Lieutenant Commander Stephen Salisbury of the MBTA Transit Police said there would be an investigation of the incident that could take between 30 to 60 days.
“The initial investigation says that the person was crossing against the light, running across Comm. Ave,” Salisbury said. “There was a Boston Police officer that actually witnessed that.”
After Ha was struck near the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Babcock Street, the bus driver called her dispatcher and Emergency Medical Services transported Ha to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he was placed in critical condition, Salisbury said.
After the injury, Ha was conscious but could not walk to the ambulance, he said.
“There is [going to be] a follow up with our detective branch just to confirm everything, and I don’t know when they’ll release that,” Salisbury said.
Ha’s family members in Virginia were notified yesterday and are on their way to visit him, Salisbury said.
Ha, a Dean’s List student, has an Allston address and graduated from SMG in 2011 with a degree in Business Administration, said BU spokesman Colin Riley in an email.
Riley said BU students are informed of safety hazards such as traffic threats as soon as they get on campus.
“Safety and [s]ecurity information is presented from the very first day students participate in [o]rientation and throughout their time at Boston University,” Riley said. “This is a terrible and unfortunate accident.”
