CapMetro releases video from bus at UT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Capital Metro late Tuesday afternoon released the video of the bus hitting the student last week.

The student, Nick Engmann, was not seriously hurt, but the sounds from inside showed that passengers were clearly upset.

Engmann was knocked several feet by the bus but swiftly got back up. He was was released from the hospital the same day.

The video shows the bus driver did not run a red light and was following the law. However, CapMetro safety policies are more stringent -- where drivers are trained to stop when lights turn yellow.

In the 20-second clip released, you can see the driver stopped at a green light. When the light turns yellow, the driver accelerates and hits Engmann.

Austin police did cite the driver for allegedly running a red light Friday.

"Technically, he didn't run a red light and is probably going to get the ticket dismissed," said CapMetro spokeswoman Erica McKewen.

McKewen told KXAN News it will be up to the driver to contest the ticket.

The driver, who has been on administrative leave since the accident, is expected to return to work Wednesday.  McKewen said he will face disciplinary action that will include retraining and a written warning.

KXAN News did talk with Engmann over the phone Tuesday. He declined to comment and said he just wants to study for finals.

Deadly MetroRail wreck

Four days before Engmann's run-in with the shuttle bus, a 32-year-old father of two boys died when a Capital MetroRail train hit his car and then dragged for several feet along the tracks.

Two children survived the wreckage near the private crossing west of MoPac Boulevard and north of Parmer Lane. Both boys were taken to Dell Children's Medical Center with minor injuries and remain in stable condition.

Passersby helped cut one of the boys loose from his seat belt with a pocket knife, and the other scrambled to safety on his own.

Jeremy Barta's roommate told KXAN News that he was a single father and was taking his two sons to school when the wreck happened.

The collision happened around 7:35 a.m. on Oak Creek Drive at the MoPac frontage road heading south, near the Howard Lane station and also near Scofield Ridge Parkway.

Neighbors told KXAN News that the wreck happened near a private driveway, where there are no gates. Neighbors also said there are three homes on that private land.

Engineers are not required to sound a train's horn nor are crossing arms required to be installed at private crossings. There are 13 private train crossings, only one of which has crossing arms.

Passengers on board the train told KXAN News they heard the conductor sound the horn.

Still, there are stop signs on both sides of the tracks -- meaning that cars going in both directions must stop before crossing.

This was the first death involving the MetroRail.

Deady shuttle bus accident

The deadly MetroRail wreck came days after Austin police announced they closed a probe into the deadly CapMetro bus accident that killed 22-year-old University of Texas student Andy Wang.

Police and CapMetro officials said it was a tragic accident when a CapMetro bus ran over Wang, who lost his balance and landed under the bus just before it took off.

Video released by the transit agency late Thursday shows Wang stumbling off the bus. He appears intoxicated as a friend tries to help him keep his balance. When the two get off the bus, Wang falls backward and lands underneath the back tire. The bus driver takes off, not knowing Wang was beneath the bus.

The video shows horrified passengers asking the driver to stop the bus. That driver later tries to keep those passengers away from the terrible scene outside the bus.

Wang was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He was set to graduate from The University of Texas in December.

The bus driver in this incident was not cited. He was put on administrative leave -- which is standard procedure -- and will return to work next week.

MetroRail wrecks

Since the MetroRail began running in 2010, there have been two previous wrecks involving the train.

One happened on March 24, 2011 and the other on Oct. 10, 2011.

March 2011

Cedar Park police cited the teen driver of the pickup truck involved in the MetroRail wreck in March 2011, the first for the MetroRail since it began running the year before.

Some 17 passengers, including the operator, were aboard the train when it clipped the rear passenger side of that pickup truck at a private crossing for the MetroRail. The site was also near a home.

Police said the accident happened around 9 a.m. in the 2000 block of Brushy Creek Road on a private, undeveloped road just west of South Vista Ridge Boulevard.

The 16-year-old was reportedly trying to cross the train tracks when the MetroRail hit the tail end of his truck. He was taken to the hospital by a family member to be checked out.

Police cited the teen for failure to yield the right of way at a railroad crossing.

October 2011

A 64-year-old man was injured after falling from a CapMetro train bridge