15 hurt in CTA bus crash in Goose Island

Fifteen people were injured in a crash between a CTA bus and a car Wednesday afternoon in the Goose Island neighborhood on the Near North Side.

An eastbound black Mercedes hit a patch of ice at 1:47 p.m. and slid into a westbound CTA bus on Chicago Avenue just east of Peoria Street, according to Chicago police and fire officials. The bus then crashed into a pole.

The driver and passenger of the Mercedes, both males, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital iwith serious injuries, authorities said.

Police said the driver was in critical condition, while the passenger’s condition was “guarded.”

Another 13 people who were on the bus, including the driver, were taken to various hospitals, police and fire officials said. They were all listed in fair-to-serious condition. Additionally, one person declined medical treatment.

Details about their ages, genders and the hospitals they were taken to were not immediately available, but police said no children or elderly people were injured.

CTA officials could not say how many passengers were aboard the bus at the time of the crash.

The 66 Chicago bus was being rerouted in the area.

The CPD Major Accidents Investigation Unit is investigating the crash.