Woman Fatally Struck By T Bus In Downtown Fort Worth

An XTO employee was killed Tuesday afternoon when she was struck by a T bus in a downtown crosswalk. Judith Peterson, 61, of Haltom City was pronounced dead at the scene just before 2 p.m. Peterson had been walking west on the sidewalk along Sixth Street; the bus was also headed west on Sixth. As Peterson crossed Houston Street, the bus turned south onto Houston.

Charlotte Timms, who said she has been a bus rider for 30 years, said, "I was just sitting at the back of the bus and felt a thud. The driver hit the brake. Then she started screaming. She was having a meltdown." Timms said she couldn't see the traffic light but was sure it was green because other vehicles were going through the intersection. The bus hit the pedestrian as she was walking the crosswalk.

Police placed tarps to block the view of onlookers. But one woman said she saw a body under bus wheels. Members of the Police Department's traffic investigation unit interviewed witnesses to try to determine who had the right of way. Two passengers were on the bus, Neal said. The bus driver — a 10-year veteran of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority — was visibly upset and taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out, but was not physically  injured. Two passengers on the bus were also unhurt.

Hopefully the Police Department will be able to put together the missing pieces and figure out what went wrong in this accident. It is hard to imagine an incident like this taking place in the middle of a downtown area, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends. Although it is unclear who had the right of way, remember to follow all traffic signals and signs so events like this can be prevented. There is a pedestrian related traffic accident every 8 minutes and a fatality less than every 2 hours.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For more information about pedestrian accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.