Under the Bus

A man was struck and seriously injured by a tour bus on the corner of Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive late Friday afternoon. The victim, whose identity could not be confirmed, was crossing Pacific Highway headed west at about 4:45 p.m. when a Seal Tours amphibious vehicle made a right turn from Harbor onto Pacific Highway. The bus struck the victim and dragged him 15 to 20 feet before stopping.

A witness said when he approached the scene he saw the man lying under the front tires. He had to signal to the driver, who could not see under the front of the bus, to put the vehicle in reverse.

Motorist Jesse Tabor, traveling eastbound on Harbor Drive, also witnessed the accident. Once the victim hit the pavement and was dragged, “his head bounced a few times,” said Tabor, who ran over to help. “He was breathing and kicking his legs. His arm was shredded, and he had deep lacerations across his neck.”

The man’s right arm was torn open from the shoulder to below the elbow, and a gash stretched from the side of his mouth to the back of his neck. He was taken to UCSD Medical Center, where doctors operated and treated him for injuries to his arms, legs, torso, and face. He is expected to survive.

A wallet recovered from under the tour bus belonged to a Timothy Patrick Rooney, but police could not verify that it belonged to the victim. Officers believe the man to be a transient, due to a bag of empty aluminum cans he had been carrying.

San Diego police sergeant James Reschke stated that surveillance video from the Embassy Suites Hotel, located at the intersection, confirmed that the victim had attempted to cross the street illegally.

Warning: Graphic photo. Click here to view photo from accident scene.