CINCINNATI — A 59-year-old man who was killed when he was hit by a Metro bus in Westwood on Tuesday has been identified, the Cincinnati Police Department said.
CPD said the pedestrian was hit near the Glenway Crossing Transit Center at around 10:30 p.m.
The man hit was pronounced dead at the scene, CPD said.
Family identified the man as Don Harris. His friends and family knew him as Irie.
Police have not identified the Metro driver, but we do know it was a 30-year-old woman.
Metro issued a statement Wednesday extending its condolences to Harris' family and loved ones.
Matthew Lewis, who was on the bus at the time of the crash, told our crew at the scene that the bus driver appeared to hit Harris who was running behind the bus, trying to catch it.
"(The driver) was already taking off ... he smacked on the window and then he just kind of disappeared," Lewis said.
Another man who witnessed the crash from outside said Harris was chasing the bus and fell off the curb before the driver ran over him.
"The bus driver probably had no idea he was there," the man said.
Lewis said he and others then thought the driver hit the curb before realizing Harris had been hit. The driver stopped the bus and people got off, checking the man and calling 911.
"It's just — it's sad," Lewis said. "She wasn't even going that fast. I mean, probably five miles an hour."
Metro said it's conducting its own, internal investigation about the crash.
"The gentlemen appears to have staggered and fallen near the mid-section of the bus as it slowly pulled away from the station," Metro said in a statement.
CPD is asking anyone who saw the crash to contact its traffic unit at 513-352-2514. Metro said it is also working with CPD, which is reviewing video of Tuesday's crash.
Speed and impairment are being investigated as contributing factors, CPD said.
The news comes days after the family of a woman hit and killed by a Metro bus in January filed a lawsuit against the driver and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates Metro.
RELATED | Family of woman struck, killed by Metro bus sues driver
Beverly Kinney, 87, was killed when Metro driver Deon Willis hit her at the intersection of Dana Avenue and Duck Creek Road in Hyde Park, only about one mile from her home.
Willis is facing five counts of vehicular manslaughter for Kinney's death.
Kinney's family attorney sent us the following statement after hearing about the most recent Metro bus crash:
“The Kinney family is devastated by the news that a 59-year-old man was hit and killed last night by a Metro bus. While we don’t know all the details of last night’s crash, another death has been our worst fear over the past 5 months. Beverly Kinney’s death should have been a massive wake up call to SORTA, and we are unaware of any changes that have been made to make the Metro bus system safer for the people of Cincinnati. The Kinney family sends its deepest condolences to the family of the man who died last night.”
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