On any given day, in Seattle and around the country, it is a given that many people will be running late. Sometimes this causes people to do things they otherwise might not, such as exceed the speed limit while driving. It isn't just those behind the wheel however that behave in ways they might not if they were on time. In some cases their actions may be drastic enough to cause an accident.

This was displayed in the actions of a man on a city bus last week who feared that he would be late for work.

According to Seattle police, the man was short a dollar for the bus fare. Apparently when the driver informed him of that fact, the man punched him in the face. The punches caused the driver to lose control of the bus and it ran into a tree. A patrol officer happened to be at the location at the time of the incident and observed the bus hitting the tree. That officer, along with others called to the scene arrested the 40-year-old man who the driver said committed the assault.

At the time of the accident the roads were reportedly covered in snow and ice.

The driver was injured in the crash. In addition to a swollen face and bruises, he may have broken a leg as well. Accordingly, he was taken to the hospital for treatment. Fortunately there were only a couple of passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. They reportedly did not need to go to the hospital and received treatment for their injuries are the scene.

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Passenger hits Metro bus driver in fare dispute, causes wreck," Scott Sunde, Jan. 20, 2012