Sun Metro Driver Blamed for Accident

El Paso - - - We now know who's to blame for a Sun Metro bus accident in El Paso last Friday that injured more than a dozen people.

A police accident report says the bus driver ran a red light and t-boned an SUV in downtown El Paso. The driver was cited for a red light violation.

The accident happened at the intersection of Stanton and Missouri. 13 people were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The accident report says the driver, Roswitha Patriarchias, 60, told investigators she thought she had a green light when multiple witnesses said she did not.

Sun Metro says Patriarchias is a relatively new employee who has a clean driving record. The director of mass transit says all their bus drivers must go through extensive training before getting behind the wheel.

"Usually when we hire people we have a training course. Six to seven week. Classroom stuff to practice driving. Our busses. Obstacle courses. Drive through the city. They drive with drivers so they know the routes."

Sun Metro says Patriarchias is doing desk work while it conducts an internal investigation. She is facing disciplinary action ranging from suspension to retraining to termination.

Sun Metro's director says serious accidents like this are rare but if the bus driver is at fault, they are usually fired. We should know in a few weeks what happens with this case.