Transit Authority in Washington Settles Bus Fatality for $7.7M

King County Metro Transit in Washington has apologized and made a multimillion-dollar payment to the family of an Amazon employee who was killed last year by a turning bus.

The Seattle Times reports 43-year-old John Ahn had finished dinner with co-workers Oct. 12, 2017, when he began crossing Westlake Avenue at Blanchard Street in Seattle.

A bus driver failed to see him while turning right.

Sound Transit initially told news reporters a pedestrian had walked into the side of the bus. However, bus-mounted video showed a corner of the bus knocked him down. A Metro safety officer ruled the crash “preventable” last fall.

King County issued Ahn’s wife a $4.5 million check in July, and agreed to a total $7.7 million, according to the county’s risk-management office.

The transit operator was fired. A union has appealed on the driver’s behalf.

Topics Washington