BUSES COLLIDE Smashed Buses, Injured Passengers

The buses collided just north of NE 130th Street in north Seattle, in the HOV lane.

Nineteen of the injured were hurt seriously enough to be transported to hospitals.

Three cars and two buses were involved in the accident, which occurred just after 4 p.m. and backed up traffic for about two hours.

The injuries appeared to involve neck and back strains and cuts, Trooper Kelly Spangler said.

The accident began with chain-reaction collisions involving a Honda, an SUV and a Toyota, Spangler said. The Toyota swerved into the HOV lane, where two Community Transit buses were approaching.

The driver of the first bus braked, and was rear-ended by the bus behind it. Most of the injured were from the second bus, Spangler said.

Two of the five northbound lanes at the site were open through most of the cleanup, but all five didn't reopen until about 6:15 p.m.

The accident occurred at a particularly awkward spot -- about a half-mile north of the point where the freeway's express lanes feed back on to the mainline, so two streams of traffic were backed up.

The driver of the car that initiated the accident will be cited for driving too fast for the conditions, Spangler said.