Rochester firefighters responded to the scene of an accident near the intersection of East Avenue and Winton Road Friday, after a 27-year-old driver barreled through the area’s bus stop around 10:30PM. The man was found unconscious in his vehicle by officers from the Rochester Police Department. He was later transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment. With no word yet on what caused the man to drive through the bus stop, the investigation continues.

Car accidents resulting in destruction of property and medical treatment have been a running theme in Rochester this year. Just a couple weeks before this latest incident involving the bus stop, a Rochester-area man was killed when he drove into a Regional Transit Service bus on April 8. The city has experienced on average about 12 fatalities due to automobile accidents per year.

Following his trip to the hospital, the 27-year-old driver involved in last Saturday’s accident faces an uncertain future. If he is found to have been guilty of driving under the influence or some such nonsense, not only will he face the associated penalties, but his chances of facing a tort case brought by the city skyrocket. “Tort” refers to a case brought to bring justice to those who have caused injury, physical or financial, or who have caused another party to lose something, like reputation or business. Tort law is formulated to make parties whole after such a loss, while simultaneously deterring others from similar actions.