1:11 AM: A bolt in the tracks appears to be the cause of a San Francisco Municipal Railway cable car accident this morning, a Muni spokesman said.
A bolt was found stuck in the trackway, which caused the inbound Powell-Hyde cable car to stop suddenly at Powell and Washington streets around 10:15 a.m.
Five passengers and two cable car operators were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Three other passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries, as well, according to police.
Police said one of the passengers fell out of the cable car when it suddenly stopped.
Bus shuttles are in place for riders on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines, Rose said.
Regular cable car service is expected to resume around 1:30 p.m., he said.
Rose said investigators are looking into where the bolt is from and how it got into the track.
11:18 AM: Seven people were hospitalized this morning following a San Francisco Municipal Railway cable car accident, a Muni spokesman said.
The accident was reported at 10:15 a.m. at Washington and Powell streets, according to fire officials.
Muni spokesman Paul Rose said five passengers on the cable car and the car’s conductor and gripman suffered minor injuries.
The cable car apparently hit an obstruction on the tracks, Rose said. Muni is investigating the cause of the accident.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, San Francisco police Officer Gordon Shyy said.
Police have shut down the intersection at Washington and Powell streets, he said.
Bus shuttles are in place for riders on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines, Rose said.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
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