Woman, 85, Dies After Bus Mishap in Ventura : Transit: Lillie Neil fell and her legs were crushed by vehicle’s wheels. Police say it’s unclear how the accident happened.

An 85-year-old Ventura woman died Wednesday after her legs were crushed by the wheels of a bus as it pulled away from her neighborhood bus stop about 20 yards from her home, Ventura police said.

Longtime Ventura resident Lillie Neil was waiting at her bus stop on Telephone Road and west of Petit Avenue at about 8:25 a.m. Wednesday morning, when for an unknown reason she fell and was run over by the South Coast Area Transit bus, police officials said.

“Somehow,” said Sgt. Gary Atkinson, “she ended up under the bus.” He said it was unclear if she was running and tripped or was standing on the bus’ step and fell when the bus started to move.

The accident marks the second fatal accident for South Coast Area Transit, which serves the western communities of Ventura County. A pedestrian was struck and killed by a SCAT bus in the early 1980s, a company spokeswoman said.

Police said a passerby apparently motioned to the driver to stop after noticing an elderly woman trying to board the departing bus. “I don’t believe that (the driver) saw this person waving,” Atkinson said.

The rear wheels of the bus rolled over both Neil’s legs, he said. She suffered a compound fracture to her left leg and was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where she died five hours later after surgery Wednesday afternoon.

The driver and passengers on the bus were unaware the woman had been struck, Atkinson said.

“The bus driver did not realize there had been an accident,” Atkinson said. “A person sitting immediately behind the rear door did not realize there had been an accident.”

He said Ventura police and SCAT are continuing to investigate. SCAT officials would not comment on the accident.

“At this point we’re still waiting for an investigation to be completed,” said Maureen Hooper-Lopez, a spokeswoman for SCAT. “I’m real sorry to hear that that woman died.”

SCAT bus drivers are trained to watch for elderly passengers who may need additional assistance, Hooper-Lopez said. She said east Ventura tends to have more older passengers than other areas that SCAT serves.

“In our training programs we do instruct our drivers to be especially watchful for seniors both getting on and off of the bus,” she said.

Friends and neighbors said Neil was an active woman who relied on the bus system for transportation to and from her home at the Buena Vida Apartments, where she had lived since 1974.

“She lost her license and her car a couple of years ago,” said Cora Seymore, 71, who lives in the same housing complex and worked with Neil at Camarillo State Hospital many years ago. Neil was a retired psychiatric technician, Seymore said.

Ann Jennings, 33, who has lived in the apartment next door to Neil’s for more than a year, was angered and saddened by the accident.

“I’m shocked,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I just feel, why her? Why did it have to happen to a nice lady.”

“She was friendly and cheerful,” Jennings said, adding that Neil’s favorite subject of conversation was her family. “She talked about her son and her daughter and her family.”