By Doug Oakley
The Contra Costa Times
OAKLAND, Calif. — Three passengers aboard an AC Transit bus in Oakland were trapped briefly Tuesday evening when live electrical lines came down on top of the vehicle.
The wires fell on the bus when it stopped at Estates Drive and Park Boulevard about 6 p.m., and the incident caused a traffic jam for about 30 minutes while crews attended to the passengers, said Robert Lipp, Oakland Fire Department battalion chief.
None of the three passengers were injured and they waited for fire fighters to help them off the bus, said AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson. He did not know what caused the power lines to fall.
Lipp said as bad as it sounds, people on buses are usually safe when electric lines fall on them because the rubber tires insulate the bus.
“Typically vehicles are safe when wires are on them,” Lipp said. “You just have to make sure you don’t touch the ground and the bus at the same time when you get off.”
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