SCAT Bus Driver Sentenced in Death of Pedestrian, 76

The driver of a public transit bus was sentenced to 250 hours of community service for fatally running over a 76-year-old woman as she pushed a shopping cart through a crosswalk in downtown Ventura.

Superior Court Judge Brian J. Back told defendant Jack Waterson Friday that community service was adequate punishment to deter the Oxnard man from further offenses.

“I’ve thought about this a long time and I’ve not detected anything but genuine remorse,” he said. “The whole thing is tragic.”

Waterson was also fined and ordered to serve 36 months’ probation.

The rear of Waterson’s South Coast Area Transit bus hit Patricia Fink after rounding a curve in May 1998. She was knocked down and the rear tire of the bus rolled over her. Waterson said he never saw the woman.

Waterson pleaded no contest Sept. 24 to a vehicular manslaughter charge. The no-contest plea means the judge declares the defendant guilty but the defendant does not admit fault.

“This is very hard to live with,” the 44-year-old man told the judge. “If I could do it all over again, I’d be more careful.”

Waterson is still employed by SCAT, which operates buses in Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ojai and unincorporated areas. Peter Drake, general manager for SCAT, said Waterson has been a satisfactory employee for 13 years with only minor incidents. Although Waterson’s performance is still under review, Drake noted that other drivers involved in fatal accidents have not been fired.

“We are very sorry about this, and we are not [trivializing] the issue for the family, but it was an accident,” Drake said.

Michael Lief, deputy district attorney, said he is satisfied with the judge’s decision.

“He did a thorough analysis,” the prosecutor said.

Waterson’s wife and two children were in court for the sentencing but made no statements.

Fink was retired and lived alone in the Mission Park Apartments in Ventura. She was within blocks of home when she was hit at Main Street and Ventura Avenue.