A bus driver lost her life when the vehicle she was operating ran her over in Miami-Dade, Florida late in the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 in what is being called a “freak accident.” The driver reportedly exited her bus after parking it and then noticed that the bus was rolling forward. The driver scrambled beside the bus, running alongside it in an attempt to reach in through the driver’s-side window to engage the emergency brake. However, as she reached in she was caught under the front wheel of the bus and run over, dying immediately.
The incident took place near the intersection of 79th Street and Northwest 32nd Avenue, near the Northside Metrorail Station. Another bus had stopped to offer assistance following the incident, but was not itself involved in the crash. The bus involved in the accident had rolled onto the sidewalk and into a nearby grassy area before coming to a stop. Police, members of the fire department and an ambulance were on scene, but nothing could be done to save the woman’s life after the accident.
The driver’s identity has not been released at this time, pending notification of her family. No passengers were on board the bus at the time of the accident, nor were any other injuries or fatalities sustained as a result of the incident. There is no word as to whether mechanical failure or driver error may have been to blame for the bus’ rolling forward following the driver’s exit from the vehicle, nor is it known whether an investigation into the cause of the accident will be initiated as a result of the tragic outcome.
According to statistics from the Florida Crash Statistics Report of 2010, of the more than 300,000 vehicular crashes in the state that year, roughly 2,000 of them involved buses, with 25 of those accidents resulting in fatal injuries.