Police: Petaluma Transit bus hits woman in crosswalk

A Petaluma Transit bus collided with a woman traversing a crosswalk across a major crosstown street yesterday, dragging her 20 feet before stopping and prompting a rescue by emergency responders, according to an announcement by the Petaluma Police Department.|

A Petaluma Transit bus collided with a woman traversing a crosswalk across a major crosstown street yesterday, dragging her 20 feet before stopping and prompting a rescue by emergency responders, according to an announcement by the Petaluma Police Department.

The bus was making a left turn onto North McDowell Boulevard when it struck the woman near the intersection with East Madison Street at 10:45 a.m., police said. The 46-year-old victim was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital after sustaining injuries to her left arm, head and face, and the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to law enforcement.

The victim was trapped under the bus when police arrived, and members of the Petaluma Fire Department used emergency equipment to lift the vehicle enough to retrieve her, according to police.

The driver, a 77-year-old woman from Petaluma, allegedly told police she noticed the pedestrian “out of the corner of her eye” while completing the turn. She told investigators she was unable to stop in time before colliding with the victim.

Police found no evidence that the bus operator was under the influence at the time of the incident, said Lt. Tim Lyons. Investigators are working to obtain footage from the vehicle’s external camera system.

The incident is under investigation by the Petaluma Police Department’s traffic unit. Witnesses are asked to contact Officer Mario Giomi at 707-776-3722.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports)

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.