Two city buses were involved in accidents yesterday morning, one of which left a 73-year-old pedestrian in critical condition.

The first accident happened about 4:52 a.m. yesterday on Dillingham Boulevard, near Pu'uhale Road, when a city bus struck a 73-year-old Kalihi woman crossing outside of a crosswalk. She was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.

The woman was running across Dillingham Boulevard in the makai direction to catch the bus when she was hit, bus officials said. Her husband, who was also running across the street, was not hit by the bus. A 57-year-old woman in the bus sustained minor injuries after she fell when the vehicle came to a stop.

The second accident happened about 5:15 a.m. in Kalihi, when a city bus driver looking for a detour around the road closure caused by the first bus crash got into trouble himself, officials said.

Oahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus, said the driver did not get authorization to take a detour onto Bannister Street, where he hit a guidewire on a utility pole and yanked it from the ground.

The accident did not cause a power outage, but the driver failed to report the accident. Police stopped him a short time later.

Kenneth Hong, OTS senior vice president and assistant general manager, said both drivers are on administrative leave while the accidents are under investigation. The driver in the second accident will likely face disciplinary measures, Hong said.

Hong said the two accidents will be analyzed and used to help train drivers on the hazards of the road. He said city buses last year got into one preventable accident every 62,000 to 100,000 miles. "We do look at each accident ... and what lessons we can learn," Hong said.

"We want to evaluate how well we do."

The bus driver who struck the pedestrian yesterday is a 59-year-old 'Ewa Beach man who has been with OTS for 34 years, Hong and police said. It was raining and dark when the accident happened, and speed is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Police said the bus was traveling in the far right lane on Dillingham, and was headed east when the pedestrian was hit. The woman was trying to catch the bus that hit her, Hong said.

The crash prompted the closure of Dillingham Boulevard for several hours, slowing rush-hour traffic in the area.

The bus driver in the second accident is 27 years old. He has been with OTS for two years.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.