DETROIT (WWJ) - A pedestrian is dead after getting hit by a bus while walking across a street in Downtown Detroit Friday morning, police said.
City Spokesman John Roach said the bus driver is a female employee with 26 years of service to the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT).
"This morning there was a tragic incident involving one of our DDOT coaches," Roach said in a statement released on behalf of DDOT and the Mayor's office. "We have lost a member of the community and our deepest sympathies are with the family at this difficult time."
Detroit police said the victim was walking on a crosswalk going west on Congress when the bus, also going west on Congress, made left-hand turn on to Griswold when it struck the pedestrian.
"We have our fatal squad investigators on the scene," police said at the scene. "We will be pulling all the camera assets in the various buildings and businesses around here to just make a final determination as to what happened."
In the official statement, Roach said any time a DDOT coach is involved in a crash, the driver is immediately taken off the road and a full internal investigation is completed. Per Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations, drug and alcohol testing of the driver is also performed.
Investigators added that there were no witnesses and while one passenger was onboard the bus, they left once the crash happened.
"The bus driver is traumatized," police stated. "Unfortunately, this was an unfortunate incident down here. It's a very tragic situation. Nobody expected it. Nothing was intentional. Just really hard to have to deal with."
The Detroit Police Department Fatal Squad is conducting the accident investigation. The report will be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor when it is completed.
"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," Roach said via the written 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."
The deceased victim has been identified, but police said they will not be releasing the person's name pending notification of the family.