BLLOMINGTON, IN — A woman was hospitalized this week after an encounter with a Bloomington Transit bus in which she was dragged beneath it for a short distance but not run over.
Police and first responders were called to the downtown transit center at 301 S. Walnut St. just after 7:15 a.m. Oct. 15 for an accident with injury. They found a 57-year-old Bloomington woman lying on the ground.
She spoke no English but Swahili; a police officer used a phone translation line so the woman could describe what had happened, according to a Bloomington Police Department report.
She recalled falling as she tried to catch the bus and said the left portion of her body had been run over. The report said doctors found no broken bones or internal injuries but kept her hospitalized overnight for observation.
BPD Capt. Ryan Pedigo said a review of security video from the bus shows the vehicle’s entry door closed at 7:10 a.m. and the bus started pulling away from the station. It shows the woman running alongside the bus, hitting the side with her hands, trying to get the driver’s attention, as the bus continued moving.
It appears the woman fell under the bus, Pedigo said, and was dragged a short distance before being ejected by a safety guard installed around the rear wheels. They’re designed to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from being pulled under a wheel if they get too close or there is a collision.
The driver, Pedigo said, called the station dispatcher to report someone had run after the bus. She was unaware the woman had fallen beneath the vehicle.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Woman hospitalized after encounter with Bloomington transit bus
Reporting by Laura Lane, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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