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HARTline bus with nine passengers and cement mixer hit in Ybor, shut down traffic

 
Tampa police said a cement mixer truck did not stop for a red light at E Seventh Avenue, then crashed into a bus.
Tampa police said a cement mixer truck did not stop for a red light at E Seventh Avenue, then crashed into a bus.
Published March 25, 2017

TAMPA — A cement mixer struck a HART bus carrying 21 passengers early Friday, shutting down and slowing traffic in Ybor City, Tampa police said.

Damien Boatwright was driving the truck south on 21st Street about 6:05 a.m. when he failed to stop for a red light at E Seventh Avenue, Tampa police said. The mixer crashed into the westbound bus.

The force of the crash caused the mixer to turn onto its side. Nine passengers on the bus were taken to local hospitals to be treated for minor injuries, according to police. Boatwright and the bus driver, whose name was not released, were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Police closed the intersection for more than two hours.

The crash caused about $20,000 in combined damage to the bus and mixer and destroyed a bike on the front of the bus.

Boatwright, who was driving for Preferred Materials Inc., was cited for running a red light.