Man jumps from moving bus on I-5
SEATAC, Wash. -- Officials say a man pushed out a window and jumped from a bus as it was traveling on Interstate 5 on Tuesday morning.
The Metro Access bus was northbound near 200th Street about 8:40 a.m. when the man got upset and leapt from the bus, tumbling onto the freeway shoulder.
The driver began trying to get to the side of the road when the man became agitated, but the bus was still going about 35 mph when he jumped, according to officials.
The man, who is in his 40s, was taken to Harborview Medical Center with a broken pelvis, cuts and other injuries.
Officials said the man may have been suffering from a mental illness prior to jumping from the bus.
No one else was hurt, but the Metro driver was described as being very upset over the incident.
The Metro Access bus was northbound near 200th Street about 8:40 a.m. when the man got upset and leapt from the bus, tumbling onto the freeway shoulder.
The driver began trying to get to the side of the road when the man became agitated, but the bus was still going about 35 mph when he jumped, according to officials.
The man, who is in his 40s, was taken to Harborview Medical Center with a broken pelvis, cuts and other injuries.
Officials said the man may have been suffering from a mental illness prior to jumping from the bus.
No one else was hurt, but the Metro driver was described as being very upset over the incident.
I'm a frequent Access traveler...and you can't diagnose folks as they enter the bus.
Harborview does that as a requirement to ride Access...there's a big old screening process before you are declared eligible. Â (Too bad they don't screen the drivers that way also.)
The windows on the bus are small 3-4 inch slider type, there are two windows (on either side of the bus) that have latches to use during emergencies...lift and push...some buses have back doors for emergencies as well.
According to numerous drivers, this was not the first time he jumped off a bus. Â I do not understand why Metro/Access did not make him have an attendant with him after the first incident or suspend his service.
I sure hope this man is getting the care he deserves mental health wise by doctors, family, caregivers, et al. Â
There but for the grace of God.....
Seems to me with all the cuts that are coming we will see more of this.
Maybe he thought he was Jason Bourne.
Coulda been a terrorist! We need TSA to screen bus passengers!
Not everyone that rides the damn access buses is phsycho or schkitzofrantic like you people are making it out to sound. Hell I am a epileptic and have had part of my brain removed in part to help seizure controll and have always had to ride the access busess or paratransit up here in snohomish county if anything it's alot more conveinent then those big articulated things like the 72 or the 255
We use to keep mentally ill people locked up. now they are among us and we get to live with them endangering our lives. They also get to drive cars you know.
Access buses are for people with disabilities of all kinds, so I'm wondering a bit how this was able to happen. Of course the driver can't prevent everything, but I wonder if all normal safety procedures were followed upon boarding the bus. Those aren't big buses either. They might have seat belts.
 @jowsuf  mentally ill people have the right to jump out of the bus and the driver can't stop them or the driver could be arrested for assault. you can't drive and supervise the crazies.
think of all of the lawyers dooling.... outside of Harborview ... with lawsuits in hand ... this guy may have figure a way out of the recession :P
Man, that sudden deceleration at the end of that jump must have hurt. I hope he gets the help he needs, and not just physical either.
2012 Darwin award
Almost, the idiot lived.
the people that ride these busses have a dissability and not allways mental. It is a shame this person had to go through this. I can,t imagne how the other people felt. I say good job for the driver trying to get over to try and help this person. they don,t get training on what to do when someone jumps out the window
Hopefully the court can force him to get some help or put him somewhere for his own protection.
Maybe the windows shouldn't open far enough for someone to get through.
 @katiemcc Even non-opening windows can be forced out, which is more what this sounds like.
 @katiemcc Could be that he opened the window that had the emergency exit handle on it.
Good job by the bus driver getting over to the side of the road. Jumping out onto the shoulder may have saved his life.
 @al_wa I thought the same thing. I think if he would have landed in traffic he would probably would have caused a mess...on many different levels.
Sheesh, panic attack? Sensory overload? Anyone who's got anxiety issues and has ridden transit on I-5 knows it can be an overwhelming experience. I feel bad for this guy; one of the few people who totally lost it but didn't try to take someone else down with him.Â
 @windtreeman Access buses are for disabled riders. As the article stated, the man is mentally ill.
Yeah, I'd say mental illness all right.
Everybody is in SUCHÂ a hurry! He was a road rage incident no matter how he traveled. Some folks should probably stay home as much as possible.
Sorry for the driver.
No, mental health issues are not a joking matter but in all honesty you can't force someone to "get the help" they need. You just can't. You can point them in the right direction-but you can't force them. So with that in mind, maybe it's better he jumped and only hurt himself rather than possibly hurting innocent passengers.
 @izwideopen The more you try to force someone with mental illness to get help when they don't want it, or don't want to admit there is something they have to change with their mental reasoning, the more that person will hate you for it. Because in their mind there is nothing wrong with them, but with everybody else in the world.
@dg54321 - so true
Did he forget to start running before he hit the ground... honestly some mental illness folks are a real hazard to the rest of people... his jumping could have caused more innocent people to get hurt if eh had caused a massive car wreck on the interstate... we seriously need to figure out something to do about this epidemic of crazy people!
I read elsewhere that this man has jumped from moving vehicles before. If that is true, then other options need to be found for transporting this man wherever he needs. I hope he gets the help he needs. My prayers to his family and friends.
Darn not enough clorine in the gene pool this morning.
Poor thing, I really hope he gets the help he obviously needs. Â Hope the Metro Driver will feel better soon too, what an awful thing to have happen on your watch.
I hope the man is okay and that he can somehow get the treatment he needs.Â
It's sad that our society thinks mental illness is a joke, as evidenced by the preceding comments.Â
need to ban those windows
 @Komo Dragon You'd like to ban the emergency exits? The windows don't open for normal use, but they have to be able to be opened for use as an exit in case of an accident.
Tuck and roll dude, always tuck and roll.
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 @robmo Access buses are for disabled riders.
There goes his free bus pass...
"may have been suffering from a mental problem" You think?
 @DarkParty AND who do you think is going to pay the bill for this guys treatment... john and jane tax payer that's who... when is it safe to cut bait?
 @Freespeech  @DarkParty I would rather my tax dollars going to treat the mentally ill then to addicts in recovery.Â
 @Northend  @Freespeech  @DarkParty I'd much rather pay for addicts in recovery, than addicts in jail.Â
@Northend @Freespeech @DarkParty Addiction could be considered a mental illness too.
 @Freespeech  @DarkParty And do what? Let the mentally ill die along the highway? Are we in Ameristan now?
 @DarkParty "Officials said the man may have been suffering from a mental illness prior to jumping from the bus."
Â
Does that mean it went away after jumping?
@DontTreadonMe @DarkParty I think a good concussion can fix anything
I know...that makes no sense.Â