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NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - The SEPTA bus that flipped on Woodhaven Road in Northeast Philadelphia has finally been towed away. That took a lot of work, along with putting the bus back upright. Still, the detour is still in effect and that's causing delays.
The bus was heading eastbound when it rolled over a guardrail at about 3am.
Drivers have been forced off Woodhaven onto Knights Road and that is continuing for now. The detour includes SEPTA's Route 78 bus. FOX 29's Bob Kelly suggests using Academy Road instead.
Earlier, Bob reported two giant tow trucks had trouble pulling the bus out. Click picture for gallery.
SEPTA's assistant general manager Fran Kelly told FOX 29's Steve Keeley, on the scene, that a mechanic was driving, rather than a regular driver. The 28-year-old said he slipped on ice.
Also, this was a shuttle bus, used to shuttle people who park in the Cornwells Heights train station parking lot along I-95. The lot is so big that SEPTA shuttles commuters from one end to the train station. This bus was headed there for shuttle use when it crashed, so it was not a regular route bus, and there were no cameras inside.
Steve reported the two tow trucks trying to pull the bus upright look like cranes. He said there's one on each side, and they sound like crunching metal when they move.
The unfortunate workers used chains and tools bare-handed. They couldn't do the work with gloves, despite the frigid conditions.
Luckily, the bus ended up on the grassy median, so there was no interference with traffic on the other side.
Also, no passengers were on board, but the bus rolled onto the driver's side.
That mechanic driving the bus had to be taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. SEPTA says he climbed out of the bus on his own and was not thrown from it.