Anonymous wrote:
I was a witness to this horrific tragedy. She was running to catch the commuter bus and her shoulder hit the sign on the sidewalk... she did not see the sign because she was looking at the bus trying to get the driver/someone's attention. As she put her hand up to brace her fall she fell into the street.
It was truly a tragic accident...my sympathy and condolences to the family.

I'm so sorry you witnessed this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does this happen so often in DC?

Two words: smart phones.


Yes it's the driver's legal fault much of the time because of the language of,the relevant statutes. ("Failure to yield", etc). However if you've spent half an hour watching pedestrians stumble out into the roadway with their eyes 100% glued to their little screens in their hands, you understand how "this happens so often in DC"

This was my thought too.

I was a witness to this horrific tragedy. She was running to catch the commuter bus and her shoulder hit the sign on the sidewalk... she did not see the sign because she was looking at the bus trying to get the driver/someone's attention. As she put her hand up to brace her fall she fell into the street.
It was truly a tragic accident...my sympathy and condolences to the family.

Wapo has just updated the story with more information about this sweet lady.

I bet someone will be hit on upper Wisconsin Ave soon. One car will stop at the crosswalk for a pedestrian, another car will whip around that car and slam on the brakes after seeing the pedestrian crossing in front of the other car.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoping they are ok - reminder that life can change in an instant.

Does this line of thinking honestly make people feel better? Must we use someone else's tragedy to feel something about our lives? It's sad.

Terrible tragedy no matter who is "at fault." I hope the victim is okay, but that driver is having the worst day of his or her life.

What does "this line of thinking" have to do with making anyone feel better? And who said it made anyone feel better? How can one feel better about a potential tragedy anyway? The victim may or may not be dead and, as you said, the driver's life will never be the same. It's horrible no matter how you slice it. And the acknowledgement that life can change in an instant is simply a fact.

Because it's all about personalizing someone else's tragedy. Why do people need to use someone else's tragedy to remind themselves life can change? It's childish, it's maudlin, and it's tacky.

You're obviously entitled to your opinion but I disagree entirely.

It wasn't a city bus, it was a commuter bus (not excusing, just clarifying)

Here's the summary from dcist.com

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus in downtown D.C. yesterday afternoon.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, a 58-year-old woman identified as Beverly Williams of La Plata, Md. was struck by a commuter bus at the 1800 block of K Street NW at approximately 5:36 p.m. Authorities say she was running to catch the bus when she fell on the road and was struck by it. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

Police say the accident is currently under investigation.

NP here. I have to agree with PP that there are just too many people who run or walk (casually, even!) into the street in DC. It's insane -- I'll be driving on say, K St, and someone will walk right through traffic instead of going 20 yards down to the crosswalk and waiting for the signal. I know this woman was running for a bus and not just crossing traffic (but that's even worse).

I have to admit, though, once I almost got hit by a fire truck on K St. Our building had a fire alarm go off and we all rushed outside (it was right after 9/11) and people spilled onto the street (one of the side roads for turns). I wasn't paying enough attention and nearly stepped in front of a fire truck rushing to the building. Scary, it can happen to anyone, not just people who take silly risks by constantly walking/running in traffic.

I feel very sad for this woman and her family -- no one should have to lose their life over an accident like this.

Anonymous wrote:Running in the street, to catch a bus? Is it that serious, that you can't wait for the next one, 30 minutes, at most?

Love your brilliant display of humanity.

Oh shit. She running in the street toward a COMMUTER bus to,get back to La Plata and fell and "her" bus ran over her.

Yeah see,-two- lives were ruined here. Hers, tragically, and also the bus driver who she essentially forced into this situation by her own actions of running at the bus

Anonymous wrote:Running in the street, to catch a bus? Is it that serious, that you can't wait for the next one, 30 minutes, at most?

probably much longer than a 30 minute wait because she was from la plata. what a shame. how very horrible for her and her family. she was just trying to get home. awful for the bus driver too. couldn't have been going very fast.

Running in the street, to catch a bus? Is it that serious, that you can't wait for the next one, 30 minutes, at most?

That's awful. I used to work in that area and on a regular basis very nearly got hit, despite crossing only with the light and at intersections.

That's really sad

She was killed:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/woman-dies-after-being-hit-by-vehicle-at-downtown-washington-intersection/2014/06/25/d9581808-fc85-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html?hpid=z3