Woman struck and killed by bus outside SM Place
DOWNTOWN A 40-year-old woman was killed here Wednesday morning after being struck by a bus as she walked through an intersection near Santa Monica Place.
The accident occurred around 8:55 a.m. at the corner of Second Street and Colorado Avenue. The woman, whose identification was being withheld until her next of kin could be notified, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Shortly after the accident, police officers covered the victim’s body with a yellow tarp and blocked off a portion of Second Street so that investigators could begin reconstructing the accident. The bus, which was driven by an employee of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was parked several feet away.
Officials with the MTA said the driver, a 10-year-veteran, was “shaken-up”following the collision and was speaking with a crisis counselor on Wednesday. He has been placed on leave with pay until the results of a drug and alcohol test are confirmed. If the results are negative, the driver could be allowed to return to work.
“We are still conducting an investigation into the incident to determine who was at fault,” said Rick Jager, a spokesman for the MTA. “It would be premature to discuss any type of discipline at this point.”
If it is determined that the driver was responsible, MTA officials will weigh his driving record and other factors to determine what actions to take, Jager said.
SMPD will be the lead agency investigating the accident. The bus involved was running along Line 4, which uses Santa Monica Boulevard to travel between downtown Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 8, 2007. Read the original PDF.