When Busses Attack

A few weeks ago, on a blustery Saturday, I sat at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 16th Street waiting for the traffic light to change. Diagonally across the street, there was a guy jumping and waving his arms wildly. Ocassionally, he would lurch into traffic, making drivers stop quickly. Looking around, I saw the bus slowly starting as it had also been stopped at the light. I figured to myself that the guy wanted to board the bus.

As the bus passed the intersection and approached the guy, the bus stopped. At the same time, my light turned green and I also passed through the intersection.

I drove past the bus and noticed that the guy was now laying in front of the bus on the asphalt and the bus’s front windows were shattered. I pulled my car to the side of the road and stopped to help.

I talked to the bus driver, who said the guy jumped in front of the bus. This didn’t surprise me since his behavior had been so irratic. The guy laid howling in pain, other drivers stopping to call the police, gawkers slowing traffic to a crawl.

Next, without warning and with a mention of the police, the guy jumps up and runs to the sidewalk where he falls down. He jumps up again and begins to run down the street. By running, I really mean hobbling as he was clearly hurt and bleeding from his head.

One of the onlookers jumps into her car and follows him down the street, where he apparently jumps into the backseat of an unlocked car. At the same time, the car owner opens the front door of her house and brings the guy inside. The ambulance and fire truck show up and go down the street to the address in question…the police still have not arrived.

People are whispering about the oddity of it all, me included. Thirty minutes later, the police arrive. They talk to the driver, they talk to the IndyGo route supervisor. By now, I am the only witness remaining, but they do not ask to talk to me. One officer goes down the street to get the man out of the house. I leave my name and phone number with the route supervisor, just in case.

I have heard the phrase “throwing oneself in front of a bus”, but I’ve never seen it in action…strange things and strange people.