Charlotte, NC : Nine people injured in a CATS bus crash in uptown Charlotte on Tuesday morning, Nov 24, 2015

Nine people were injured in a CATS bus in uptown Charlotte Tuesday morning, officials say.

The accident happened around 8 a.m. on Oaklawn Avenue at Ethel Guest Lane, where the road was shut down for a time in all directions. Police say the driver of CATS bus #1064 was picking up a passenger at a bus stop and started to pull off when a Dodge Stratus drove into the opposite lane and hit the bus head-on.

Brandon Crew, the driver of the Dodge, and his two passengers were taken to Carolinas Medical Center-Main.. Crew, 18, suffered serious injuries but is expected to be OK. Crew's front passenger, 18-year-old Benjamin Davis, was hospitalized in critical condition.

Crew's backseat passenger, 19-year-old Markies Crew, suffered minor injuries.

Four Medic units, police and a Mass Casualty Bus responded to the scene. The driver of the CATS bus was not injured, police say.

Five others were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Neighbors in a community near Oaklawn Avenue say they saw the mayhem caused by the collision,

"I've never seen nothing like it and when I actually saw it I was kind of shocked," said neighbor Antonia Garriett.

Garriett said she was one of several neighbors who frantically tried to help get the passengers out of the car. She said the teenagers appeared to be badly injured.

"It's really sad. You don't know who's kids they are. You don't know who they belong to," explained the neighbor.

Garriett, a mother herself, said seeing the accident serves as a valuable lesson for drivers on the road.

"It makes you more careful as well to go about your day and make sure I got on my seat belt, make sure my kids are in their seat belts, make sure I'm watching out for other drivers as well," she explained.

Rob Connors, another neighbor living in the area, said he was going to take a bus to work, but had to ride his bike after the crash happened.

"I didn't see another bus coming so I figured it was probably going to be a while," said Connors.

Officials say speed appears to be a factor in the crash and say there is no evidence of drug or alcohol use. No charges have been filed at this time.

The crash remains under investigation.

Source :

Nine hospitalized in uptown Charlotte CATS bus crash