Pedestrian Killed by Bus May Have Been Avoiding Ice

WASHINGTON - A pedestrian killed Saturday night by a Metrobus may have been trying to avoid ice.

Angel Walters, 21, of Southeast was killed by a bus Saturday night just after 11 p.m. She is the fourth person killed by a Metrobus in 8 months.

The accident occurred in Anacostia at Congress Place and Savannah Street.

It is believed that Walters, a mother and nursing student, may have been trying to avoid the ice that has remained on many of the city's sidewalks since the ice storm Wednesday.

"A pedestrian stepped from between two parked cars and into the path of the bus," says WMATA spokeswoman Joanne Ferreira, who adds the driver had only worked for Metro for two years and has not been charged.

Walters did not attempt to cross the roadway at a designated crosswalk. Just before she was killed, she was unloading packages from a sport utility vehicle across from her apartment complex.

The death of Walters comes three days after another Metrobus struck and killed two Alexandria, Va., women.

The recent accidents have prompted Metro's manager John Catoe to issue a safety bulletin, and to announce new safety training for bus drivers.

At a news conference held Sunday afternoon Catoe called the accident tragic, but insisted that the transit system is just as safe as any transit system in the country.

Catoe announced a new safety program last week after two women were killed when a bus turned a corner into them.

"Every operator, every year will receive retraining in the safe operation of their vehicle," said Catoe on Sunday.

The program hasn't been implemented yet, but Catoe says the training will be a "major undertaking," and will involve every aspect of their job, including vehicle maintenance and operation.

Mayor Adrian Fenty says the city also will be looking into intersection design over the next few months in the hope of finding a way to reduce accidents.

It's not just buses that are causing a hazard to pedestrians in the region.

An average of 85 pedestrians are killed each year in the Washington D.C. area.

AAA spokesperson John Townsend says that a combination of bad intersections, harried drivers and careless pedestrians has lead to shocking pedestrian death rate.

"In some parts of the area you have a greater pedestrian death rate, than you have a homicide rate," says Townsend.

Townsend says that following a few basic rules can keep pedestrians safe.

"Don't jay-walk, don't walk between the street without concern for motor vehicles, make eye contact with the driver, and make sure the driver sees you," he says.

Drivers should also be aware that pedestrians might not be able to see the cars before they attempt to cross the street.

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