Two pedestrians hit by ART bus in two incidents

A woman was struck and killed by an Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus near Central and Maple on Jan. 28, around 7:40 p.m. She was about 20-30 years old and unidentifiable at this time, according to police. Police say she had been walking out into oncoming traffic before she rolled out in front of the bus. 

Police said witnesses reported her to be causing a commotion in the street around dinner time near 66 Diner. They said she was laying in the middle of westbound traffic before rolling over into eastbound traffic.  The bus driver did not have enough time to stop before driving over her. This is the first fatality caused by an ART bus on Central. 

It’s unclear how many people were on the bus but police say everyone scattered after the woman was killed. As of now, no one has come forward about being involved in the incident. 

66 Diner employee Nathan Sandoval was on shift when the accident happened but was able to talk to one of the witnesses on his break. 

“I didn’t see any of this, but I heard that this woman seemed as if she was on something and she was like trying to get hit by passing cars who basically wouldn’t cooperate with that until she eventually got hit by a bus,” Sandoval said. 

Prior to the collision, witnesses say other cars had been stopping in the street to get her out of the way, but it is unsure whether her actions were deliberate according to Officer DeAnguero. 

Photojournalists from KOB and KRQE said the body was so damaged, they couldn’t tell if it was a male or female when they first arrived on the scene. As of now, police found no damage to the ART bus, but it was still towed away so that the underside can be examined. 

Less than 24 hours after the woman was hit by the bus, another man was reportedly hit by a different ART bus near the same area. The Albuquerque Journal retrieved further information on the second crash from Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman. 

“The male pedestrian appeared to be jaywalking when he crossed Central,” Gallegos told the Journal. “The nearest crosswalk was about 50 yards from the point where the male stepped in front of the bus.”

The Albuquerque Journal said witnesses saw the man being taken away in an ambulance while passengers left the bus with a cracked windshield. 

Daniel Ward is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @wordsofward34