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A few people have been asking what happened yesterday morning downtown near Central Library where a large memorial with flowers sits today. A pedestrian was hit by a DASH bus at 5th and Flower around 6:35 a.m. in the morning.
Gwendolyn Coleman, 58, sustained injuries in the crash and later died at the hospital, according to Bruce Gilman of the Department of Transportation who contracts First Transit to operate their downtown fleet. The bus was turning left onto Flower St. where the woman was struck while in the crosswalk, explained LAPD Media Relations Officer Ana Aguirre.
Asked if Coleman was crossing the street legally, Detective Josephine Mapson of Central Traffic Division said that was still unclear and the incident is still under investigation.
Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA questions if the bus ran the red light.
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this is horrible. i've recently been reading more about these bus drivers running red lights because i myself was the victim of that happening when an mta bus blatantly sped through a red light and totaled the front of my car. the driver was unapologetic about it, and i was furious because it shouldn't have happened in the first place, as it was a RED light. i also drove by a horrible car wreck on christmas day i believe, over by pershing square where a bus apparently did a hit and run and left this SUV in shambles by the side of the road. i don't understand why these MTA drivers are above the law and that this stuff is pretty much ignored.
While bus riding, I've been on the 750 as its run a red light quite a few times.
Something to keep in mind, though. There is no such thing as running a yellow. You can run a yellow all you want. Yellow purely means a red is coming. Running a red light is when it's red and you cross the limit line.
Yeah, but the buses are so big and so damn slow that turning left on yellow - especially a light that's been yellow for a few seconds - pretty much guarantees the light will be red long before they're done. Which is dangerous for other cars in that intersection who can't see around the bus and can't know if there are other cars turning, etc.
A friend of mine had her car side swiped by a bus. It didn't even flinch. I wondered if the people on the bus said something, or noticed.
I'm not sure if I totally am grasping your point msmerymac, but if a vehicle it still travelling through the intersection after the light turns red, no matter if they are there legally or not, there is another California Vehicle Code (don't have the time at the moment to go hunt the number, sorry) that says you cannot enter the intersection until that other vehicle it out.
I'm sure there is - it just creates delays and headaches. You know how 3 cars usually try to go through yellow lights in the left hand lane? I've seen California drivers try to follow buses through intersections, turning left, well past when the red light has turned. I know it's not the bus's fault per se - but if they (usually) stop for people in crosswalks between lights I don't see why they have to drive like typical Californians through intersections.
i'm sure you've seen the videos over at thebusbench.com of buses not going through yellows but hitting the gas as it's turning red. i understand the argument that if it's a yellow light, the momentum of the bus makes it difficult to stop, but when it's a yellow, that's still safe and cars from the other side will see the bus already passing the intersection before their light turns green. but in some of those instances, the bus is going through the red because it *just* turned red, which is still remarkably dangerous.
I haven't seen the videos over at the bus bench, but I'll go check them out, thanks!
I almost got hit by a Santa Monica bus in West LA.. buses usually honk when they run red lights, but this bus didn't.
Thanks for this post! I was stuck in yesterday's morning traffic mess as a result of that accident...but didn't know it was an accident. So, I just grumbled at the film industry for, once again, turning my five-minute commute into a thirty-minute one.
Can someone share with us if she was an employee in downtown or tenant?. This tragedy I will never forget,This could have been one of our co-workers.I have crossed that street for several years and am often concerned about getting hit, the vehicles don't seem to realize that theres pedestrians crossing and automatically turn, I'm sure this Dash bus crossed that street daily and knew pedestrians crossed as well.
Let's pray for this driver,his family and the tragic loss of this woman and her family.We need to bring attention to this crosswalk and contact the Mayor.
Way too many people die in crosswalks every year. The wine Steward at the MdR Ralphs was hit and killed in the crosswalk on Admiralty Way last year as he bent over to pick up his wallet. He had the light, but it apparently didn't matter.
We still don't know who killed him as the Highway Patrol was only able to state that a dark SUV may have been involved. Gosh...a dark SUV. There can only be a few hundred of those in a one mile radius of the area alone.
I still don't understand how someone can run someone else down in the road and not come forward.
I walk around Downtown LA all the time. There are certain intersections that can be a little intimidating. I always feel more comfortable when I'm crossing with a crowd of pedestrians than alone/relatively alone. I avoid certain intersections, and am always as careful as possible in others. Most times I don't even cross when the light is still green, but the red hand is flashing (unless I'm with others). Many drivers in this city have absolutely no respect for those of us on foot and bike.
I think I'll start wearing a day glo orange David Byrne suit with a strobe light accessorized hat.
Gwen was a wonderful lady who worked in a local bank on 5th and Figueroa. Her death was senseless. the following blurp appeared in the LA Times. Still the Media remains silent. Had they reported how gruesome her death was, surely there would have been a public outcry regarding the safety of both pedestrians and drivers.
Pedestrian killed downtown was in crosswalk legally, LAPD says
9:17 PM, January 9, 2009
Police are now saying that a pedestrian killed Wednesday morning in downtown Los Angeles was legally in a crosswalk when the accident occurred.
Gwendolyn Coleman, 58, of Burbank was hit by a city of Los Angeles DASH bus at 5th and Flower streets about 6:35 a.m. Coleman had the green light to cross and the driver of the bus did not see her because of a blind spot, said Richard French, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The DASH bus was turning from 5th onto Flower when the accident happened. First Transit, the company that operates the buses for the city, said Thursday that the driver of the bus had been put on suspension pending an investigation.
Gwen was a wonderful lady who worked in a local bank on 5th and Figueroa. Her death was senseless. the following blurp appeared in the LA Times. Still the Media remains silent. Had they reported how gruesome her death was, surely there would have been a public outcry regarding the safety of both pedestrians and drivers.
Pedestrian killed downtown was in crosswalk legally, LAPD says
9:17 PM, January 9, 2009
Police are now saying that a pedestrian killed Wednesday morning in downtown Los Angeles was legally in a crosswalk when the accident occurred.
Gwendolyn Coleman, 58, of Burbank was hit by a city of Los Angeles DASH bus at 5th and Flower streets about 6:35 a.m. Coleman had the green light to cross and the driver of the bus did not see her because of a blind spot, said Richard French, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The DASH bus was turning from 5th onto Flower when the accident happened. First Transit, the company that operates the buses for the city, said Thursday that the driver of the bus had been put on suspension pending an investigation.