Belmont and Clark Car Crash View Full Caption

LAKEVIEW — A driver who fell asleep at the wheel on Clark Street crashed into a bus and a mailbox at Belmont Avenue and Clark — and then the responding ambulance got in an accident, too, police said.

The initial accident happened around 1 p.m. Tuesday. After falling asleep, the male driver crossed the center line of Clark Street, struck a CTA bus and ultimately smashed into a news box and a mailbox, according to Town Hall Police Cmdr. Elias Voulgaris.

An ambulance arrived onto Belmont to pick the driver up, said resident Jason Chin, who witnessed part of the incident from Dollop Coffee shop, 824 W. Belmont Ave.

As it drove away, it struck a passing car, police said.

It didn't look terrible, Chin said, but "it was enough that the guy was real pissed and wanted the police report."

"It was just bad timing," Chin said.

Another ambulance was called, and the driver was transferred over, he said.

The driver is at Illinois Masonic in good condition, police said. No paramedics were hurt.

By Tuesday afternoon, the driver's blue Monte Carlo remained up against a damaged mailbox on the northeast corner of the Belmont and Clark intersection, with passersby of the busy intersection pausing to snap photos.

Chin, who coincidentally runs a blog about the travails of Clark Street called "I Hate Clark Street!", said he's surprised accidents don't happen more frequently in the area.

"It was like I was watching an episode from 'The Simpsons'," he said.