A 20-year-old unlicensed driver made an improper turn near the Holland Tunnel on the New Jersey side Thursday, causing an accident with a bus that sent the larger vehicle into a traffic light and injured more than a dozen people, officials say.
Fourteen of the 42 passengers on the bus suffered minor injuries in the 11 a.m. accident near Jersey Avenue and 12th Street and were taken to local hospitals, a Port Authority spokesman said. The remaining riders were put on other buses.
It wasn't clear if the sedan driver was hurt. The vehicle was seen heavily damaged on the sidewalk, jammed between a structure and the traffic pole the bus hit. Port Authority officials say the driver was cited for careless driving in addition to being unlicensed.
The bus was pulled away from the scene within about half an hour, and the remnants of what appeared to be a crosswalk sign were visibly stuck in the driver's side roof. The front driver's side area of the bus also appeared heavily damaged.
Several lanes were closed for a time as authorities investigated, but all lanes were reopened by about 1:15 p.m. and inbound delays had ebbed to 45 minutes.
