DETROIT (WXYZ) — The driver of a DDOT bus that ran over and killed a woman Friday morning was also behind the wheel during a fatal accident in 2015, when she ran over a passenger who had just gotten off of her bus.
Multiple sources confirm to 7 Action News that the driver, a 25-year DDOT employee, was behind the wheel in 2015 when she ran over Joey Davis.
After reaching his stop, Davis walked off the bus and retrieved his bicycle from a rack attached to the front.
RELATED: Detroit bus accidents cripple victims, cost city millions in payouts
Surveillance video showed that the female bus driver appeared to be looking in her rear-view mirror—and not at the man in front of her bus—when she took her foot off the brake and drove over him.
Davis died later at the hospital and his family sued the city, settling for $4.5 million.
Despite the considerable settlement, the city did not fire Davis. Instead, she was retrained by the city and remained a DDOT bus driver.
7 Action News first revealed that the driver remained with the city during an investigation in 2017.
Detroit police are investigating Friday’s accident, where the victim was struck near Griswold and Congress downtown.
According to DPD, the bus was going westbound on Congress and stopped to turn onto southbound Griswold at the time of the accident.
The victim was also walking westbound in the crosswalk on Congress. She was reportedly on the way to work in the Buhl Building.
It is not clear whether the driver or the pedestrian was at fault.
“The city has also begun a full internal review as to whether the city has the proper internal and labor relations processes in place to prevent accidents involving the city’s bus operators,” said mayoral spokesman John Roach in a statement.
“Mayor Duggan has directed Senior Advisor and Counsel Hassan Beydoun to thoroughly review the city’s practices and make recommendations as any steps that should be taken to prevent tragedies in the future.”
Contact 7 Investigator at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
