Three people were injured when a Muni trolley bus snapped live electrical lines at Market at Fifth streets during the Monday evening rush hour, authorities said.

The 4:07 p.m. incident forced the closure of Market between Third and Eighth streets and part of Fifth Street, snarling downtown traffic. Crews were unable to shut off live downed electrical lines until just before 5 p.m., and the street was expected to remain closed at least until 7 p.m., authorities said.

Witnesses described hearing a loud, explosive noise when the accident happened.

One pedestrian, a woman in her 20s, was hit by one of the wires, said Fire Department spokesman Mindy Talmadge. She and another person were taken to St. Francis Memorial Hospital. The nature of their injuries was unclear, but Talmadge said neither was badly hurt.

Paul Rose, a Muni spokesman, said a third person had also been taken to a hospital.

One of the victims, a pedestrian who was apparently a tourist, was helped by a San Francisco man after being hit by one of the wires.

“I heard a pop and saw one man under the wire,” said Hilton Holcomb, 57, who was crossing Fifth at the time of the incident. “I saw sparks and the fire coming through. I pulled him to the side of the road.”

Holcomb said the man was conscious but was shaking and complaining that he felt like his hands were on fire.

“I’ve seen these wires fall before,” Holcomb said, “but I’ve never seen one with explosions and fire.”

Cause of the Trolley Accident

Initial reports were that the “hub” mounted on the 5-Fulton trolley’s pole that includes a transformer became detached and snapped live wires as it fell from the bus, authorities said. The cause of the June 4 crash remains under investigation by the San Francisco Police Department.

Trolley accidents and serious injury liability

The laws regarding trolley accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law.  It is vital to  family members to seek the advice of an experienced bus accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

The Bay Area personal injury attorney Gary A Kessler and the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler are compassionate and fully understand that you are attempting to cope with serious injuries associated with a trolley accident.  Such trolley accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler carefully selects its wrongful death and trolley accident cases so that we may give you (the client) the substantial personal attention necessary to obtain a successful result for your trolley accident case.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and top expert witnesses to prepare for the trial of your case.  As in all bus accident and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no attorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm.  Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today so we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the responsible party.

If you have been seriously injured or a family member sustained serious injuries involving a trolley, you need to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler or another experienced law firm immediately to protect your legal rights and preserve the evidence.  Claims for damages against a public entity or governmental entity are complex and they have “strict time limitations”.  So do not delay and contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today!