A pedestrian is in stable condition after being hit by a slow-moving bus at the AJ Dock on Tuesday morning, police and hospital officials said.
At just before noon, Juneau Police Department Officers Ken Colon and Steve Warnaca said at the scene, a Gray Line of Alaska bus was backing up in the AJ Dock parking lot when it hit a man in a wheelchair. The bus driver, Colon and Warnaca said, was checking his mirrors and didn’t see any people or obstacles in his way.
The pedestrian, Colon said, was directly behind the bus at the time and was not appearing in the mirrors. The bus began moving, and the back bumper collided with the wheelchair.
“He stopped the moment he heard something hit his bus,” Colon said of the bus driver.
The man in the wheelchair was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital for minor injuries, police on scene said. As of 2:30 p.m., BRH Spokesperson Katie Bausler said, the man was being treated and was about to be released. Bausler said the nurse house supervisor on duty did not elaborate about the man’s injuries.
No charges were filed against the bus driver. The man who was hit is in town as a cruise ship passenger, Colon said.
“We’re fortunate it’s not worse,” Colon said. “Thank God for that. It sucks to be on vacation and for this to happen.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
