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7 Hospitalized After SF Cable Car Accident

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Seven people were hospitalized Wednesday 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 injuries. San Francisco Fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said one of the injuries - an elderly man who fell and hit his head - was considered life-threatening.

The cable car apparently hit a metal bolt that had fallen on the tracks. Muni was further investigating the cause of the accident.

Cable-Car-Ax-Bolt
A bolt that caused a cable car crash in San Francisco Wednesday. (CBS)

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 were in place for riders on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines, Rose said.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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