Wednesday, July 1, 1998
A Metro bus driver was charged Monday with vehicular homicide in connection with the May 30 death of a Madisonville man who fell under the back wheels of a bus.
Patricia A. Bybee, 53, of Avondale hit Waquine Druex as he tried to catch up to the Route 11 bus as it pulled away from the turnaround area at Kenwood and Madison roads.
Ms. Bybee told police she didn't see him approach the bus and didn't realize she hit him until people who witnessed the 10 a.m. accident from a bus stop alerted her.
But Charlie Rubenstein, chief deputy prosecutor for Cincinnati, said Mr. Druex was running alongside the bus, banging on the side to stop it. Ms. Bybee hit him when she drove the bus 4 feet onto the sidewalk as she rounded the curve, he said. "She showed a substantial lapse from due care."
Mr. Druex, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ms. Bybee, a 13-year veteran, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation, Metro spokeswoman Sallie Hilvers said. The driver was arraigned Tuesday and freed after posting $1,000 bond. Her case was continued until July 28.
The vehicular homicide charge is a misdemeanor; it carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. If convicted, she could lose her commercial driver's license permanently, Ms. Hilvers said.
The driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs, Ms. Hilvers said.
"This is a tragedy for both the deceased and the family of the deceased, and for Pat and her family," Ms. Hilvers said.
Ms. Bybee's driving record at Metro includes four minor accidents in the past five years, none of which involved physical injuries or major property damage, Ms. Hilvers said.
Mr. Druex was the third person to be killed by a Metro bus since 1990. The other two were intoxicated when they stumbled into the path of buses, and neither driver was charged, Ms. Hilvers said. Metro's 389 buses tally 27 million passenger trips and 12 million miles per year, Ms. Hilvers said. Those trips included 20 collisions with people last year; 14 resulted in injury.
