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DA: Woman dragged, killed by MBTA bus in Revere
By adamg on Tue, 12/10/2013 - 10:32pm
Update: Authorities have identified the victim as Gayle Johnson.
Investigators now believe a Route 110 bus hit a woman crossing Broadway shortly before 7 p.m., then dragged her down the street, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports:
Evidence developed through the night suggests that an MBTA bus struck the 52-year-old Revere woman who died in the area of 400 Broadway yesterday evening. He did not show signs of impairment; he was subjected to drug and alcohol testing pursuant to MBTA policy, the results of which must be subpoenaed by investigators. The driver, age 56, has not been charged at this time. The investigation remains active.
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Comments
Channel 5 is reporting that
Channel 5 is reporting that she was struck near the fire station then dragged to the intersection near Taft Street which would put it in the 127 vicinity.
Prayers for the victim
The cameras on the bus should clear the driver hopefully they work nothing else seems to be working on the MBTA
why do you think the cameras
why do you think the cameras will clear the driver, do you have facts or are you just Heralding?
The News on 7 with Canyon
The News on 7 with Canyon says the driver will not be charged . For the poor woman , Kyrie Eleison , Christe Eleison !
Local News
Local News is now confirming she was hit by a MBTA Bus. :(
Not sure why it took this long, considering a bus is huge and it would be pretty obvious that the bus hit something.
My heart goes out to the family.. simply awful.
Not making excuses and I
Not making excuses and I clearly don't know the facts, but I don't follow your logic. The very fact that the bus is huge is a reason that a driver may not realize the bus hit something.
All I will say is
All I will say is that I have friends who were eye witnesses at the scene and told me what they saw.
And out of respect for the family I will not say anymore.. Sorry!
Too late
10 minutes ago, you make a long post specifically stating the driver was at fault, but now you're not going to say anything more out 'respect for the family'? That seems weak. Either you heard the bus driver was at fault and that's why you posted that he was or you've heard (in the last 10 minutes) that the pedestrian was at fault, at which point you're going to leave your previous strong statement of accusation standing.
Maybe hold off on all judgement until the police release more info about the incident.
Details
Referring to gory details. Everything I have posted has already appeared in news articles.
Let's also say that I'm "in the know" and know a bit more than what news outlets are saying. OK? But my main point was not releasing gory details.
You think THAT was a long statement?
Have you never seen a Swirly post?
Condolences to her family...
This is an awful thing to happen, but at the holidays makes it even harder to deal with.
Monday?
Adam, your losing days.. its Wednesday!
Stupid, stupid pedestrians
I see more idiot pedestrians dressed at night in all dark clothing than anything visible, by far. When will something finally be done about people being too fashion conscious to wear something safe at night? Those who are dressed nearly invisibly at night need to have a mindset that they can't be seen and act accordingly. If nobody can see you, it doesn't matter if you are in a crosswalk or not.
Try it for yourselves tonight on the way home from work: Count of how many pedestrians wear clothing that is likely visible at night versus not, then imagine why we hear of so many nighttime pedestrian deaths during the darkest days of the year.
really?
We really need that ignore button.. STAT.
Mark, are you fucking serious?!? Look I agree pedestrians do some pretty stupid things. But hello, it was a MBTA bus.. a 3 TON bus. It's hard for anyone to miss them. Its not like the bus had its headlights off and was driving around in the dark. YOU WOULD NOT MISS AN MBTA BUS COMING NOR WOULD A MBTA BUS DRIVER MISS SOMEONE WALKING OUT IN FRONT OF THE BUS.
Especially at the intersection where it happened (I lived nearby for many years). Broadway is long and straight in that section, you would not miss a MBTA bus coming down, esp .. if my assumptions are correct that most like it was a 116, which would stop at "Fenwood Ave" or 117 which would stop at "Central Ave @ Broadway" (and turn LEFT onto B'way from Central Ave). Both stops are VERY active bus stops along both routes. 99% the buses stop at these stops because its a transfer point for several buses in the area.
The driver was clearly at fault. How the heck can you miss that you hit someone, and then drive for another block or so with whatever on your bus (on street reports some pretty gruesome details about the scene)
Serious man, you've totally miss the mark (so to speak)...
Should vehicles be visible at night?
Should vehicles be visible at night? Why the flack then over encouraging pedestrians to also be visible at night? Really simple, both should be.
In case you haven't noticed
Pedestrians don't weigh three tons and don't rocket around at 70mph.
There weren't any problems with pedestrians not having lights until cars came along.
Of course, you're probably too busy thinking up some bizarre, perverse explanation for this being the 52 year old woman's fault owing to menopause or something similarly creepy to notice basic, fundamental reality.
Let's talk about another reality
The reality that bringing a multi-ton vehicle to a stop quickly is far more difficult for a driver to do (even if they're not speeding, drunk, distracted, etc.) it than is for a reasonably alert pedestrian on two feet to bring themselves to a stop. It's this little thing called physics at work.
Yet some of us, upon hearing of vehicle-pedestrian incidents like this, automatically jump to the conclusion that the driver is somehow always at fault.
Lacking logic, Cybah
And yet at least one, and perhaps both, of these things happened. Everybody needs to understand that they are responsible for their own safety, and that of those around them. This means hyper awareness at street crossings. That car that you think sees you, might not, and maybe it's going to get to the crosswalk sooner than you think. I see people in dark clothing wander on to the street right in front of me pretty much any time I drive at night. It only takes a brief distraction for a driver not to see it.
dark clothing as a safety problem
I can't really fathom this. Now we have rules about what kind of clothing I can walk in? I believe a pedestrian needs to stay on the sidewalks and crosswalks. it doesn't really matter what color your clothing is, when it is dark out. reflective clothing is for jogging. but this kind of weird blame the victim stuff speaks to emotional problems of the poster not reality.
welcome to the world of being a cyclist
I can't really fathom this. Now we have rules about what kind of clothing I can walk in?
Welcome to being a cyclist, where you have to dress like a day-glo clown at a rave, or it's your fault if someone slams into you with their car because they thought they had automatic right-of-way over anyone on a bike, or were making an illegal traffic maneuver, or were staring at their cell phone. And "didn't see" you.
Cars do not automatically
Cars do not automatically stop at crosswalks if they don't think someone is in them. If you're going to wear all dark clothing and think the cross walk has some kind of barrier to protect you from a driver that cannot see you, then you'd be wrong.
It's not an us vs them issue, its a safety and smart thing to do issue.
hit and run poor lady
I agree how chould that bus driver not no he hit something im sorry but its how i feel he must of not waited till she got off and then just took off or she chould of fell it was icy . i just feel so bad and so upset for grace and her family its just awful
I'm not sure I would go so
I'm not sure I would go so far with my condemnation, but I do agree that pedestrians and cyclists at night should be mindful that any reflective or light clothing can be lifesaving. I stopped the other night to let someone cross the street (pedestrian) and noticed they wore all black. I saw them because I purposely go very slow in this particular area due to the heavy pedestrian traffic. I saw him but I'm not sure someone else would.
A caricature of your former self
1) You have no evidence this pedestrian was dressed in all dark clothing.
2) You have no evidence that the driver's ability to see the pedestrian is at fault here.
3) You have no evidence that nighttime pedestrian deaths rise in the winter months.
4) You don't even have any evidence that she was attempting to cross the road (she could have been trying to enter her car, jogging down the side of the road, or attempting to flag down the bus driver, for numerous other examples).
With zero justification for pretty much every one of your statements to have any relevance to this conversation, the best you are doing is having a theszak-esque uncontrollable outburst because a keyword (pedestrian) showed up in the news. At worst, you're using someone's dragging death as a means of trolling the group here.
Please control yourself and be civil.
Kaz, you're a mensch.
Thank you for that posting. And, to the family of the woman who was dragged, I'm so sorry that my fellow human being chose this moment to call your deceased loved one "stupid."
Read my post again
Did I write anything specific to last night's tragic death?
No.
I wrote a public service message after learning of too many needless pedestrian accidents in the past month. There is much opportunity for pedestrians to exercise more care in their own personal safety. In cases where they might not see a bus, truck, car, or bicycle, the driver is more likely to see them when they are wearing visible clothing,
A month ago the NHTSA put out a Press Release with data stating:
There are many searchable reports and papers at trb.org and elsewhere on the nature of pedestrian accidents. Visibility actually plays a role in many types of accidents.
Weak, pathetic backpedal
Yes. actually.
You posted a message entitled "stupid, stupid pedestrians" in a thread that was specifically about last night's tragic death.
Try to grow a little damn humanity.
Then we agree
Exactly.
There is a means of posting blog posts here where you can espouse whatever you want on whatever topics you like. However, you chose to add your self-admitted unrelated commentary to this post. In light of the context of where you chose to draft your screed on pedestrian errors, even giving you the benefit of doubt, you were naively callous.
Interested audience
People reading about a pedestrian death are more likely receptive to a suggestion that they try to make themselves visible while walking than posting the same in a random place. Web ad placement follows a similar paradigm of using related things.
So, try making note tonight on your way home of how many pedestrians are wearing visible clothing vs. not.
Would if I could
Your premise is that pedestrians wearing not-as-visible clothing can't be seen by drivers. How do you plan for me to count them accurately while driving? Unless your premise is faulty and even darkly clothed pedestrians should be visible enough for drivers to react correctly regardless of what the person is wearing simply because control of your vehicle given the conditions (dark, pedestrian-heavy urban streets, parked cars, etc.) is paramount to driving correctly.
While wearing reflective and/or lighter colored clothing makes drivers' jobs easier, it's a two-way street and drivers have a responsibility to drive correctly under the conditions presented. A driver's concern doesn't end at his bumper.
I find that a Public Service Message
is far more useful if you don't call those you are addressing "stupid, stupid," especially in a post about a death that makes no mention of why the person was hit.
Motorists are to blame too.
Motorists are to blame too. They probably do as many stupid things as the pedestrians. When will something finally be done about people driving too fast and not stopping at stop signs or looking before they turn or not slowing down when going through a crosswalk. It doesn't matter if pedestrians follow the rules or not because the motorists won't and will hit them. Try it for your self tonight. Count how many motorists blatantly ignore traffic rules and blame others for getting in their way.
Covered already
This site routinely has comments always blaming motorists. In cases where a pedestrian doesn't notice a car or bus, them being visible gives the other party a better chance to avoid an accident. A pedestrian all in black assumes all the burden for their own safety with no back up plan.
If the discussion were about motor vehicles driving around at night with no lights you would be right to blame them. When a pedestrian makes themselves invisible, its the driver's fault?
Much easier to see the pedestrians
When you aren't constantly engaged in rectal-cranial impaction while attempting to drive.
Sorry you can't be expected to see what you are supposed to slow down and look for because your polyps are in the way.
Yay victim blaming!
Mark loves him some victim blaming. Any collisions between cars and pedestrians/cyclists are never the fault of the person driving. Also, according to Mark, many pedestrians and cyclists get hit on purpose for the money! DOLLA DOLLA BILL Y'ALL! Easy money, just sign here and be maimed for life; after you pay your lawyer and your medical bills you'll be rolling in literally hundreds of dollars.
But seriously, without more facts, this is ridiculous and insensitive. It's one thing to believe that pedestrians should be "responsible" for their own safety, quite another to promote such an agenda in this fashion. I personally think that the "pedestrians are to blame for their injuries unless they're wearing reflective clothing/lights/helmets/full body airbags" is mostly a pile of bunkum. Sure, it can't hurt, and if you're walking on a road where no one expects a pedestrian--like a country road with no lights and no sidewalk--then I think you're being stupid if you're not making yourself visible. But walking around in a built-up area at 7pm should be expected, it should be the default activity, not the outlier. If we've made it so dangerous to walk around our homes and shops that you're automatically assumed to be responsible for being killed if you're not taking special measures then I'd say we've grossly over-privileged the act of driving a car and that we've failed as a society.
I'm sure Mark will retort that he doesn't believe these things or make some smart-sounding-but-actually-dumb argument to the contrary. But if you don't believe me then just join the Arlington list and search the archives, or read through comments on the Arlington Patch.
Lie much?
I love people taking responsibility for their own well-being and not always blaming others for it (like drivers) or demanding a nanny state to protect them from themselves, besides others. I dislike trolls who attack people and make up claims when they hold indefensible positions.
Care to back up your assertion that I claimed many pedestrians and cyclists get hit on purpose for the money, or even that it never happens?
It really stuns me how you can defend dressing like a ninja at night. Planes have lights, trains have lights, ships to sail boats have lights, Cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, and even 20 lb. bicycles are required to use lights at night. Even in lit urban environments. So why should pedestrians not act to be visible also? Doesn't it only make sense?
Perhaps you are one of those bicyclists breaking the law by not using front and rear lights, or betting against Darwin by not wearing visible clothing while riding. Good luck with that.
You really ought to try on your claims to see how logical they would be from the other side. Maybe that is a skill lost on people who can't play chess and only look at things from their own perspective. Cars and bicycles should have lights on in urban areas despite being expected. Pedestrians need to expect more vehicles in urban areas than rural and exercise greater awareness- more vehicles mean more opportunities to get hit.
Like I said, just search...
Like I said, just search the Arlington Patch. Didn't take me long to find this:
http://arlington.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/77yearold-driver-pul...
The rest of your post demonstrates your usual poor reading comprehension and there's really no point even rebutting it. That which is asserted without proof can be dismissed as easily, and I'm sure most readers can clearly see I'm not saying what you claim. I particularly enjoyed "defend dressing like a ninja at night", among the pile of personal assumptions which are baseless and entirely wrong.
Where did this come from?
A couple messages up you stated:
You seem to be quoting someone. Perhaps one of the voices in your head because it wasn't mine.
Urban or not, pedestrian traffic injuries from sober drivers have been almost all at night. Visibility is a major difference between day and night, thus its rational to want to make pedestrians more visible at night. Arguing otherwise is irrational.
Lets talk about how Mr. Mark K behaves cyclists in daylight
Honking repeatedly.
Revving engine.
Yelling out the window.
All this on block long stretch of a SLOW and NARROW residential street in the early morning hours ... where there was no room for said arrogant Mr. Mark K to pass AND no reason to.
Oh, and the cyclist was wearing a helmet and visibility vest. That means he saw said cyclist and started laying on the horn because they didn't see driving a car gives him special rights to the road according to him.
People do know who you are and what you look like. Behave, move, or face the consequences.
City pedestrians
Your post is pretty ridiculous. We are not talking about a street out in the middle of the country where you would not expect to see pedestrians. This is an urban area where pedestrians are the norm. Not sure where your rant is coming from - are there some pedestrians who do stupid things like jump out in the middle of the street, sure - but that would be dangerous regardless of what they are wearing. There is no need to wear reflective gear when walking around an area that has a lot of pedestrian traffic.
Pedestrians don't expect vehicles?
In urban areas, pedestrians need to expect more vehicles than in rural areas, not just drivers expecting more pedestrians! A fatal mistake often made by pedestrians is assuming that they are seen, especially at crosswalks. They let their guard down compared to when they are jaywalking. Betting that you will be seen and stopped for has better odds if wearing visible clothing.
Have you perhaps noticed road workers, utility workers, police, and many commercial drivers wearing high visibility and reflective garments, day or night, urban or rural? Needless, or a good idea?
So, tell me, what is the downside for pedestrians dressing to be seen at night? Do negatives outweigh the positive of staying alive or months of suffering hospitalization and physical therapy? Man Ray and goth are gone. You don't have to wear all black anymore.
How many is that in the last year?
Maybe they need to start training bus drivers a bit better?
Or start trying them for murder. Right now, they have zero incentive to stop and own up to killing people.
Soooo
How many has it been in the last year? This is the first I've heard of one in a very long time....
Care to backup your comment with facts?
Sure thing
88 year old man in Melrose in May http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/05/man_88_hit_k...
Cyclist on Huntington Ave. http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Police-MBTA-bus-hits-kills-BU-stude...
Another Cyclist on Huntington Ave. http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/12007637170279/bicyclist...
... where have you been, exactly, that you missed this?
And the BU student in Allston
http://www.comcastsportsnet.com/landing?BU-student-riding-bike-killed-by...
88 year old man in Melrose
You're going to blame the 88 year old's death on the MBTA? I was at the scene before all the police and investigators showed up, but I hung back, since it appeared to me as though there was a brawl or stabbing on the bus. I talked with a few people and they said he turned and walked right out in front of the oncoming bus without looking. Just because a bus hits someone, doesn't mean the bus is at fault.
Now count serious pedestrian accidents
Now count serious pedestrian accidents involving motor vehicles (not just MBTA), excluding trains, in the last two months. How many were during the daytime and how many during the nighttime? Notice any patterns?
What ever happened to the
What ever happened to the trial of those bus tire guards which knocked people sideways outward from the wheels as to not be crushed?
T driver lawyer'ed up
Was reported in the Herald, also that the woman likely got off that same bus, was very nice and a pillar of her family. Please be careful out there. I doubt the press will report the outcome of any investigation in months to come, much like the cyclist hit and killed by a bus or the pedestrian who died crossing Fresh Pond Parkway in Cambridge. As with airplane crashes, there are important lessons to be (hopefully) learned.
Oh, gee, you mean it wasn't
Oh, gee, you mean it wasn't her fault for wearing dark clothing? I didn't hear your apology... did you mumble?
I never accused her
I never accused the victim in this crash of wearing dark clothing. I only accuse most pedestrians of foolishly wearing dark clothing at night. I have no information on what the victim was wearing other than her shoes, thus made no claims about her to apologize for.
I don't understand how it
I don't understand how it could be the 110 bus since it doesn't travel down Broadway. It only crosses Broadway to get to and from Central and Park Ave.
Some of the Route 110 buses
Some of the Route 110 buses terminate at the lot next to the firehouse, and turn right onto Broadway to loop around.
Correct. However they loop
Correct. However they loop around to Park Ave which wouldn't explain how her body ended up near Taft Street.
Out of Service
It didn't make any sense to me, either, when I first heard it. I even checked the maps to make sure, but nope, doesn't make sense. The only thing it could be is that the bus driver, upon completing their route, was on their way to end their shift or to start another route (such as heading to Maverick to start as a 116 or 117).
Per the schedule, the 6:18 PM
Per the schedule, the 6:18 PM Route 110 bus out of Wellington only goes as far as Broadway & Park Ave. (the firehouse). There is no corresponding inbound return trip, so the bus must go out of service and returns to the garage in Charlestown. (The 110 operates out of the Charlestown garage while the 116, 117,and 119 operate out of Lynn garage). Given the timing, this was probably the trip.
Commercial drivers must be held accountable.
UNACCEPTABLE!!! Commercial vehicles plowing over pedestrians and cyclists throughout the Boston area. "I didn't see them" seems to be a viable legal defense. If a commercial driver isn't aware of EVERYTHING that's happening in, on and around their vehicle, they are not doing their job and are therefore a danger to the general population. Driving any vehicle is a RESPONSIBILITY. But driving a huge commercial vehicle requires even greater diligence and acceptance of the responsibility.
I have a background as a ship captain, obviously much bigger that a bus. I was ultimately responsible for every thing in, on and around my vessel as well as any damage cause by my wake. Death or injury caused by my vessel would have exposed me to federal charges.
For this driver, manslaughter charges at minimum! Lifetime suspension of commercial driving privileges as well.
Here we go again
The "the driver is controlling a comemrcial vehicle, so they must automatically be at fault" argument.. Even if a cyclist tries to pass a bus or truck on the right while the vehicle is preparing to make a right hand turn or entering a bus stop. Even if a pedestrian bilindly steps out into the street without any regard to approaching traffic.
As for "I didn't see them", commercial vehicles have these areas called "blind spots". If a person is within the blind spot, chances are the driver legitimately can't see them.
But let's continue on the false presumption that pedestrians and cyclists can do no wrong in cases like these.
Here We Go Again
Assuming that a cyclist who has just been passed by a truck in the outer lane is responsible for being run over by a truck driver suddenly taking a right.
Keep on drooling and frothing!
Take a deep breath
Take a deep breath, and actually read the comment you just responded to.