Metro bus driver arrested following crash with pedestrian
SEATTLE -- A 32-year-old man was seriously injured when he was struck by a Metro bus in Downtown Seattle Tuesday morning, and the driver was arrested for investigation of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
Police say the incident happened at 3rd and Stewart around 7:20 a.m. Witnesses told KOMO News the bus appeared to have the right of way and the man just walked out in front of it.
The impact was strong enough to break the bicycle rack on the front of the bus, witnesses said.
Police said after the bus stopped, the man walked away, even though he was bleeding from the head. Moments later, a call came into Seattle Fire that a seriously injured man was located outside a Starbucks at Fourth and Pine, said spokesman Kyle Moore.
Moore says the well-dressed man apparently suffered a concussion and wasn't making a lot of sense when firefighters arrived. The victim did manage to tell medics he had been hit and dragged by a vehicle downtown, Moore said.
The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for his injuries, and Moore said he was expected to survive.
Further investigation into the crash revealed the bus driver was exhibiting signs of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, Seattle police said. The driver was arrested and taken for a blood draw. He was then released to Metro supervisors.
Metro officials say no alcohol was found in the driver's system.
Meanwhile, Seattle police are still investigating the collision.
Police say the incident happened at 3rd and Stewart around 7:20 a.m. Witnesses told KOMO News the bus appeared to have the right of way and the man just walked out in front of it.
The impact was strong enough to break the bicycle rack on the front of the bus, witnesses said.
Police said after the bus stopped, the man walked away, even though he was bleeding from the head. Moments later, a call came into Seattle Fire that a seriously injured man was located outside a Starbucks at Fourth and Pine, said spokesman Kyle Moore.
Moore says the well-dressed man apparently suffered a concussion and wasn't making a lot of sense when firefighters arrived. The victim did manage to tell medics he had been hit and dragged by a vehicle downtown, Moore said.
The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for his injuries, and Moore said he was expected to survive.
Further investigation into the crash revealed the bus driver was exhibiting signs of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, Seattle police said. The driver was arrested and taken for a blood draw. He was then released to Metro supervisors.
Metro officials say no alcohol was found in the driver's system.
Meanwhile, Seattle police are still investigating the collision.
I would like to see more Metro drivers held accountable for breaking traffic laws, such as running red lights. I see it all the time, and I am fed up with it.
Why were the cops so eager to arrest him? Was he going out of town? I guess he is lucky that he didn't "die" on the way to jail, or "hurt himself" when he got there.
Seattle Times reported this morning the driver passed the initial blood draw. Toxicological tests take longer but as a fellow driver I was naturally relieved the driver hadn't been drinking. I think SPD may have jumped to conclusions but their job is difficult as well. The number of jaywalkers downtown, Cap Hill, QA, and the UDist on a given day is overwhelming from where I sit. SPD might want to start by concentrating enforcement there instead. .  Â
 @wheelsonthebus Apparently spd was a bit reckless on this one as the driver's civil attorney is already put the lawsuit wheels in motion.
A well dressed man down in that neighborhood.. the bus driver was saving him from a mugging
We better push to ban Metro buses before this happens again.
 @Butter Gets old. Come up with something new.
Gun nuts have never been able to come up with something logical or reasonable why anyone would need an assault rifle. To hunt bunny rabbits? To fight off tyrannical government? Gimme a break. Get a life.
@DrugFighter @Butter Drug Fighter the term "Gun Nuts" has gotten old as well. We are not nuts about guns. I don't need a semi-automatic rifle I just want one. Nobody needs a 5,000 lb SUV but it's ok to have one. Nobody needs a car with 400 hp. If I followed the anti firearm logic anyone who owns a fast car does it just to break the law speeding(?)
I am sorry....I also heard on the KOMO report that the bus driver, "has a heavy Spanish accent". Is this another SPD racial profiling? If so, I as a latina, who is English speaking, but married for 40+ years to a Viet Nam vet who still has a 'heavy Spanish accent' am ready to take on SPD. Remember I am not exactly 'youthful', but will be ready to protest the SPD folk on this one.
I am sorry....I also heard on the KOMO report that the bus driver, "has a heavy Spanish accent". Is this another SPD racial profiling? If so, I as a latina, who is English speaking, but married for 40+ years to a Viet Nam vet who still has a 'heavy Spanish accent' am ready to take on SPD. Remember I am not exactly 'youthful', but will be ready to protest the SPD folk on this one.
@bluesandy Minorities and women are never going to find equality if you and they continue to point out the fact that you are not a caucasion male. If you want people to stop seeing you as a "latina", then stop shoving it in everyone's face. I am 5'8" and losing my hair, but I try not to point this out to people. I would rather people see me for my personality than this. Go ahead and protest SPD, I doubt many people will care.
@bluesandy  So you write that you heard KOMO report that the driver had a heavy Spanish accent.  You don't say the source of KOMO's information. Were they quoting a SPD officer's comment? A witness' comment? Or perhaps the reporter's own observation???  Â
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Without the source of the observation, your assertion that the SPD is "profiling" makes YOU a profiler of sourts yourself.  Should we all jump on the bandwagon to protest you?  Â
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And even if the driver does have an accent of some type, why is the mere mention of it enough to make you cry foul? If the driver does, then it is a true statement and a true statement is a true statement. If the comment about an accent was followed by something unflattering or inflamatory based on the person having an accent, THEN there is cause for umbrage. But good grief. Lose the victim mentality already. Â
Ok, so I was there when this happened and I have no idea where they got the information that the man hit was well dressed. He looked homeless. He was acting as if he was drunk and then he walked into the road and then got hit... he then proceeded to try to "get away" from the metro lady that was chasing after him. I also saw the bus driver. He was naturally upset that he had hit someone, but in no way appeared intoxicated. Maybe some fact checking would be good in articles as this was not the only one that said the man was "well dressed". I do not consider pants hanging 1/2 way down his rear end as well dressed.Â
Standard procedure is for a drug/alchol test in any commercial vehicle accident.
@Lena I think they said well? Dressed.. .spewing profanity.. .?
 @Lena Oh..one of those kind of homeless. Yea..it's kinda hard to run fast when your pants around your knees and your butt in the breeze.
 @Lena I also wanted to thank you for your post.  I am beyond frustrated that "proper news" agencies like Komo (but it's not *just* Komo) can write such horrifically wrong stories and still get treated as credible. Where is the editorial oversight and public outcry? Where is the shame?/grumble
 @Lena Thanks for your post. While I was not there to witness, I am a regular bus commuter and have heard from a few drivers just how dangerous the jaywalkers make it for vehicles, especially in downtown (and on all busy streets).  I have no sympathy/empathy for jaywalkers who get hit by vehicles.  Nor do I care if CARELESS bicyclists get hit.  By the way, I am a pedestrian who rides a bike and also drives a car.  SPD could make better use of their time and our money by cleaning up the streets of the type you referred to that wear 'hanging pants down to their rear'..
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 @Alki_Ninja Metro officials say no alcohol was found in the driver's system.
People run out in front of the buses all the time. It's amazing there aren't 15 deaths per week. The driver was probably pretty upset, and not necessarily impaired. Let's not hang him until we get the results of the blood test.
Oh this is sweet. The two great loves of liberals: public transit and pedestrian traffic! What will you liberals do now that you see even it's not just cars that hit pedestrians?Â
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 @John Gault nice trolling
It was just a homeless highly drunk bum that the driver hit
 @Seattle " Moore says the well-dressed man apparently suffered a concussion
and was not making sense when fighters arrived."Â
That is not the description one would expect when describing a homeless drunk bum
at all.Â
Please at least read the article before making such an ignorant, heartless statement.
 @pete1427  @Seattle I was there and saw this transpire. News articles do not always have the correct info. The man was obviously homeless and was staggering into the road when he got hit.
 @pete1427 Kiro 7 news reported different i suspect moore made a mistake when he made the above descrition.
I am more likely to believe that it was the pedestrian's fault. I have seen too many people walking and talking on their cell phones and don't seem to have a clue as to what is happening around them.
Public transportation can't stay out of trouble, if it is leaky pontoons, embezzlement, budgeting for fines, revenues that never will meet expenses and now biting the hand that feeds.... - or runs over a possible paying passenger. The bus ride is so revolting even the bus driver zones out.
Metro's policy anytime one of their driver's is involved in a collision is to take the driver out of service and drug test them - even if the facts of the collision are 100% known and the other person is 100% at fault. This is nothing more than KOMO skewing the facts to sell "news."
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I was down there just after this happened as were hundreds of other onlookers.  I was near and observed the driver and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing to this "DUI" charge.  He was emotional and obviously upset that he had hit the pedestrian but in no way appeared "impaired."
i am with you but the cops have to arrest someone alot of people that saw it said the guy was on something and you can not stop a heavy bus like that i have riden with that bus driver the cops need to go after the drug dealers on 3rd ave that are selling their pills but no they don't care
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 @I Can't Believe This! I don't believe THAT.
Must have been one of those Seattle assault buses,I say ban all Seattle buses.good thing it's not painted black.
 @scvette You can't be so stupid to believe you're helping the guns rights cause are you? I've got to wonder sometimes if, as I wonder in this case, if you're from the other side attempting to make gun rights advocates appear to be callous idiots.
@uscit16791949 @scvette I thought it was about forks making people fat.. .?
Am I using my real name? Guess all you have to do is check the concealed weapons registry.. .
Just awesome, getting behind the wheel of an enormous vehicle full of people while being impaired...
 @Citizen#3457899654 Read the article all the way through. "Metro officials say no alcohol was found in the driver's system."
 @Citizen#3457899654Â
Appeared, does not then mean he was. Wait til the results come back to bash the driver.
Sounds like a classic "e-zombie" case to me. Put those smart toys down folks before crossing the street.
For all of you defending the driver, they don't just arrest someone based on a hunch. They usually do breathizers and other field sobriety tests. I hope he wasn't drunk, but it surely wasn't on a whim that he was arrested.Â
@marvin
KOMO is well known for writing articles against Metro bus drivers based on their version of the "facts." I do not believe the driver was arrested. As policy dictates, he was taken in for an alcohol and drug test. He was cleared.  I watched this same scenario happen about 10 years ago when another drunk walked off the sidewalk and into the closed back door of a RT. 358 bus.Â
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All bus drivers are subject to drug and alcohol checks at any time. All bus drivers are aware of this and that it is a condition of their employment.
 @marvin As a former cop myself I can say the Seattle PD does have a tendency to jump to conclusions rather quickly. I doubt it was alcohol if he was under the influence its likely OTC or prescription meds.Â
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It would be interesting to see what signs he was exhibiting.Â
Color me surprised. Good thing the driver has a strong union to protect his interests.
 @Ogglethorpe Wintermonger Yes but the public doesn't.
Maybe the driver wasn't impaired, but in shock after hitting somone who just walked out in front of him. Let's wait for the results before we crucify the guy based on the Seattle PD's assumption that he was impaired.
A sad day for all concerned. The driver could have just been using something over the counter but could still get burned for this one, even though the pedestrian was probably at fault. Bummer.
Say it isn't so...
Whoa - from the story I would have guessed it was the pedestrian that was impaired rather than the bus driver. Â Crazy.
The victim should received a nice payday from Metro if the driver was impared or not.
@TreeTopFlyer Witnesses said that the bus appeared to have the right of way and that the man walked out in front of the bus. If the driver was not inpaired in anyway, I simply do not see how your statement that he has a payday coming makes any sense.
@Surveyor1 ....Yep, you're right...the victim appears to have been asleep at the wheel too. In any case, a very unfortunate accident. It seems that the zombies are destroying themselves so we can all just watch the apocalypse thru the media. Now, I think the only ones that are gonna see a payday are the lawyers.