D.C. Metro officials spent their Sunday trying to reassure a nervous public that safety matters after a Metrobus struck and killed a 21-year-old District woman as she carried groceries to her home.
Angel Walters had just parked her car in the 1300 block of Congress Place Southeast when a Metrobus slammed into her late Saturday night.
She was the third bus fatality of the week and the 10th person killed by Metro trains and buses in 18 months.
Led by Mayor Adrian Fenty, Metro hastily called a news conference Sunday. Its leaders sent condolences to Walters’ family and renewed promises to overhaul the system’s safety program.
“We operate over 1 million miles per week,” Metro General Manager John Catoe told those at the news conference. “But statistics do not help. We want to make safety part of the culture.”
Metro officials stressed that the driver of the bus that killed Walters was not cited in the crash and suggested that Walters stepped in front of the vehicle as it traveled north on Congress Place. But they added that the incident is under investigation.
“We all agree it’s unacceptable,” Metro Board Member Charles Deegan said.
Based on the 87 feet of skid marks, the bus was traveling between 23 and 27 miles per hour, Catoe said. The posted speed limit on Congress Place is 25 mph, he said.
The driver who killed Walters had been on the job for less than two years. He was involved in a previous crash, but was not at fault, Catoe said.
Metro officials weren’t the only ones facing tough questions over Walters’ death. The new Fenty administration once again found itself having to answer for its handling of the snow and ice that hobbled much of the city last week.
There were early reports that Walters was in the bus’ path because she was stepping over a mound of ice.
Fenty told those at the news conference he was sure that city employees “did everything humanly possible” to make the streets and sidewalks clear.
Walters’ was the fourth Metrobus fatality in eight months.
On Valentine’s Day, Sally McGee and Martha S. Schoenborn were struck and killed as they tried to cross Pennsylvania Avenue. The driver was charged with negligent homicide.
Whatever the outcome of the Walters’ investigation, authorities made clear that the stakes are high.
“The sheer number [of fatalities] sets us back,” said Jim Graham, member of the District Council and Metro’s governing board. “I have a heavy heart.”
Anyone with information on Metro safety can call The Washington Examiner at 202-459-4956.
Driver still unknown
Afterpromising to release the name of the driver whose bus struck and killed Angel Walters, Metro officials reneged. Spokeswoman Joanne Ferreira said that police would have to release the driver’s identity. But the police officials who attended Sunday’s news conference didn’t know the man’s name.
