Garfield softball teams' bus hits bridge

A bus carrying Garfield High School's varsity and junior-varsity softball teams crashed into a low pedestrian bridge in the Washington Park Arboretum on Wednesday, sending two dozen students and others to the hospital.

The private charter bus apparently was too tall for a 9-foot underpass in the 2100 block of Lake Washington Boulevard East, near the Highway 520 onramp.

"All of a sudden, you hear this scraping, awful noise," said Sigrid Williams, 17, a softball player who had been on board. She said her head slammed into the seat in front of her when the bus crashed about 6 p.m.

Five of the girls were taken immediately by ambulances to Harborview Medical Center with neck and back pain, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

The remaining 19 passengers were later taken to Harborview for evaluation. There were 22 high-school softball players, a coach and a driver on board at the time of the accident.

The front right side of the white bus was completely crushed. The windshield shattered, and some of the side panels broke off.

The footbridge that the bus hit was marked with a "Low Clearance" sign.

The driver, who declined to give his name, said he has been driving for a year and a half for Journey Lines, a Lynnwood-based charter-bus company.

Steve Abegg, a spokesman for Journey Lines, said driving through the arboretum is not a normal route.

"We're cooperating with authorities and completing a thorough investigation. We'll release a statement when we have it," he said.

The softball team was returning from a game against Lake Washington High School at Crestwoods Park in Kirkland. Garfield lost the game 10-0.

Lauren Vane: 206-464-2926 or lvane@seattletimes.com;

Haley Edwards: 206-464-2745 or hedwards@seattletimes.com