Pedestrian Dies After Being Hit by Bus

A pedestrian who was struck and pinned beneath the left front tire of an MTA bus Monday died a short time later at a local hospital, authorities said.

It appeared the pedestrian, identified only as a 56-year-old Van Nuys woman, was in a crosswalk when she was struck by the bus at 5:40 p.m., said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Edward Wheelis.

She was dragged a short distance, he said. When officers arrived, they found the woman wedged under the left front tire and not breathing. They ordered the bus driver to put the bus in reverse.

“She backed the bus off of her and at that point she started breathing again,” Wheelis said.

Paramedics took the injured woman to a Fire Department station in Sherman Oaks and were preparing to airlift her to Northridge Hospital Medical Center when her heart stopped.

The driver of the bus, whose name was not released, was taken to Sherman Oaks Hospital, where officers were interviewing her. “She’s hysterical,” Wheelis said.

The bus was traveling north on Tyrone Avenue and turning left onto the 14300 block of Moorpark Street when it struck the pedestrian, authorities said. The bus was empty and the driver was on her way to the bus terminal for a break, said Rick Jager, an MTA spokesman.

“She’s somewhat in shock, as anybody would be,” Jager said of the driver. “We will obviously be monitoring her condition and giving her needed support through this ordeal.”

Drivers involved in accidents are tested for drugs and alcohol under MTA policy, Jager said. When the driver will return to work depends on the investigation and her state of mind, he said.

The bus was towed to an LAPD yard where it will be examined for mechanical malfunctions, including faulty brakes, authorities said.

Rosalinda Boyar, who was in her apartment nearby, said she heard women’s screams and ran downstairs. She said she held the driver and prayed with her until the driver was taken to the hospital.

“She wouldn’t let me go,” Boyar said. “She said ‘I didn’t see her, I didn’t see her.’ ”