PEDESTRIAN HIT IDENTIFIED Police Release Name Of Man Hit, Killed By KRT Bus; Driver On Paid Suspension
Reported by: Kristin Keeling
Web Producer: Kristin Keeling
Reported: Feb. 21, 2013 5:14 AM EST
Updated: Feb. 21, 2013 9:28 PM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
A Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation driver is on paid suspension after the bus he was driving hit and killed a pedestrian.
Police said the bus hit Joseph Bias, 40, as he was stepping onto the street at an intersection in Charleston. Bias died at the scene.
The accident occurred around 5 a.m. Thursday. Five passengers were on the bus at the time.
KRT General Manager Denny Dawson says the driver was placed on paid suspension while the accident is investigated. He declined to identify the man, who has been a KRT driver for about 10 years.
A man is dead after accidentally being hit by a KRT bus, Thursday morning.
It happened around 5:00 a.m. at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Stockton Street on Charleston's west side.
Police say the KRT driver was just starting his route and didn't see the man who was trying to cross the street. That's when he accidentally hit him. "He was ran over by the rear end of the tires and died on scene," said Corporal Brian Jones.
Police said the intersection was extremely dark and they think it may have been difficult for the driver to see the man.
Investigators spent hours re-constructing the scene and looking over the bus.
Jones said unfortunately people tend to underestimate how long it takes for a bus to come to a stop. "This is a large vehicle. It weighs a lot and it takes a lot longer for it to stop. A lot longer than a car," he said.
KRT Assistant General Manager Doug Hartley said no one can prepare for something like this. He said his employee was a very experienced driver. And right now, all they can do is turn to prayer.
"Obviously, it's something that none of us want to see happen," Hartley said. "We just hope and pray that God looks down on all of those families involved and gives them comfort."
Life sentence sought for W.Va. police lot arsonist May 22, 2013 7:54 AM EDT Greenbrier County's prosecutor is seeking a life sentence for a man convicted of torching several vehicles at a West Virginia State Police barracks.
Maine casino sale awaits state approval May 22, 2013 7:35 AM EDT Maine's Gambling Control Board has ruled that the Oxford Casino won't be asked to apply for a new operator's license if a sale to the company that owns the home of the Kentucky Derby is approved.
Service set after man dies day after wedding May 22, 2013 7:23 AM EDT A memorial service is this weekend for a newly married Detroit-area youth minister who was killed in a traffic accident as he and his wife were en route to their honeymoon in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Kristin Keeling
