Posted on Sat, Oct. 15, 2005
Cyclist dies in collision with off-duty city bus
MELISSA MANWARE, Staff Writer
The driver of a CATS bus that collided with and killed a bicycle rider Friday on South Tryon Street had been in another wreck 30 minutes earlier and was returning the bus to the station, city officials said. The bicyclist and bus collided in front of the entrance to the South Tryon Bus Facility near Clanton Road just before 5 p.m. The bike rider, identified as Todd Matthew Weaver, was thrown about 20 feet and landed in the driveway, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.
The bus driver, who Charlotte Area Transit System officials identified as 50-year-old Jerry Lee Miller, was not injured. A CATS driver for 4 1/2 years, Miller previously had five other on-duty wrecks, CATS spokeswoman Jean Leier said. After Friday's wrecks, he was placed on unpaid leave. He was also tested for drugs, which is routine in wrecks with injuries. The results weren't immediately available.
At about 4:30 p.m. Friday, Miller hit a planter as he turned bus No. 707 left from Fourth Street onto South Tryon, Leier said. The wreck was minor, but Medic took six passengers to hospitals for evaluations. Miller was told to take his bus back to the South Tryon transit center and then report for a drug test.
Less than 30 minutes later, Miller, southbound on Tryon, was making a left into the parking lot when the bus collided with Weaver, who was riding north, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Sgt. Ricky Robbins said. Medics worked on 36-year-old Weaver, but pronounced him dead in the driveway. He had been wearing a helmet and other gear.
Weaver lives in Concord and works in Charlotte. Robbins said Weaver rode his bike to work every day. Dan Seeman, who works on Clanton and was headed to a nearby hardware store, said he saw the collision. The bicyclist was a big guy, he said, and had gotten his attention. "One moment he was alive and riding by me," Seeman said, "and the next he was dead."
Seeman said the man on the bicycle was riding fast and seemed to have his head down. The bike hit the bus near the door. The bus driver couldn't get his front door open, Seeman said, and exited from a back one. The driver checked on the bicyclist, told Seeman to call 911, then ran for help.
Robbins said officers will complete an investigation and turn their findings over to the Mecklenburg County district attorney, who will decide if charges are appropriate.
Leier said she did not know details of Miller's other wrecks, but said they involved property damage and no injuries. She also did not know if he had been tested for drugs previously, but said drivers are terminated if they test positive. Leier would not say whether it was uncommon for a driver to be involved in seven wrecks. She said union guidelines say drivers can face termination if they have four in 36 consecutive months. They can be fired sooner depending on the severity, she added. Three of Miller's five previous wrecks were within 32 consecutive months, she said. After Friday, Miller had five wrecks in 32 months.
D). I'd never be able to do without mine. Sometimes I'll just be walking around in a store, or at work, and hear a noise behind me, and I freak myself out by looking in my mirror, and it isn't there :Q
Facebook
Twitter