CHICAGO (CBS) ― It made for a loud wake-up call, to say the least, when a CTA bus driver lost control and plowed right into the side of a house in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
Four people, including the driver, were taken to the hospital, but none of the injuries is serious.
People who live near the scene say that the bus driver may have been traveling too fast.
The crash happened at about 5:40 a.m. Tuesday on Vincennes Avenue just off 115th Street. Tim Johnson was waiting at the bus stop for the number 111 Pullman/111th/115th bus when he couldn't believe what he saw.
"All the sudden the bus starts turning," Johnson said. "So I'm getting ready to pull out my pass and she just kept turning and turning and hit this house. I was in shock."
Neighbors describe what sounded like an explosion.
"I heard the bang and it woke me up and then I saw on the news that the bus hit the house," said Lashone Clark, who lives down the street.
The bus crashed right through the kitchen and an upstairs bathroom of the house at 11465 S. Vincennes Ave.
It's a sharp left turn that the bus drivers make from Vincennes Avenue to 115th Street. Why the driver lost control was under investigation Tuesday afternoon.
CTA officials said they have no information at this time that speed caused the crash.
"That's something we're looking at as part of our investigation," said CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney.
At an unrelated news conference Tuesday, CTA President Richard Rodriguez said the CTA will examine surveillance video from cameras on board the bus and has contacted Chicago police to find out if any surveillance cameras might have been near the crash scene and recorded the accident.
Rodriguez also said the CTA will examine information from the GPS tracking system on the bus to determine how fast the bus was going at the time of the crash.
Neighbors believe changes should be made at the intersection for greater safety.
"It didn't stop. I don't know if she was asleep. I don't know what was going on," said Johnson. "The buses go too fast there every day."
"I've seen them go too fast there before," said Clark. "That's too sharp for them to turn. They should slow down."
After the crash, two victims were taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island and two were taken to Roseland Community Hospital, all in "basic life support" and "stable condition," according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
Langford said the driver and at least one passenger were among the four victims but could not confirm whether the other victims were from the house.
The bus made a "clean entry into the side of the house and was several feet in," Langford said. Crews at the scene and had turned off the gas and electricity to the house.
Amazingly, LaSharon Smith and her three children, who live there, were able to walk away without any visible injuries following the accident.
"We're fine. That's all I want to say," Smith said. "Thank God we're fine."
Her family was staying in the home, which is owned by the Apostolic Pentecostal Church.
"I don't see how it could have happened," said Bishop William Ellis of the church. "We're just grateful that it wasn't worse than it is."
Neighbors also said this was the third time in about a year that the home has been struck by a vehicle. This was the first time it has been struck by a bus, though.
While the Smith family is grateful they're safe, they now have no place to live. It may be a while before the gaping hole in the side of their house is patched up and the house is safe to come back to.
The CTA Claims Department is helping the family find a temporary place to stay. Rodriguez said the agency will work with the property owners on reimbursement for damages.
Police closed 115th Street between Church Street and Watkins Avenue after the accident.
CBS 2's Susan Carlson and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
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