A metro bus driver taking a routine break was pinned by her own bus to a concrete wall Monday afternoon and later pronounced dead. News4’s Erika Gonzalez has the latest.
A Metrobus driver fatally pinned by her own bus Monday afternoon has been identified as as Thomasine Maria Smith of Laurel, Md.
Crews responded to the crash in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Avenue around 3:30 p.m. Monday, near the White Oak Shopping Center in Silver Spring.
Officials say Smith, 47, was on a break when she exited her bus on New Hampshire Avenue. The bus began rolling and Smith attempted to reach through the driver's window to engage the break when she was pinned against the road's retaining wall.
"...[S]he was already pinned to the wall," a witness told News4's Erika Gonzalez.
Smith was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries and pronounced dead within several hours of the crash.
Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel told News4 that Smith was taking a routine break and there were no passengers on the bus at the time.
Surveillance footage from the bus may shed more light on the investigation, he said.
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"We do believe that the camera footage may provide some information on what exactly was happening outside the bus," Stessel said.
Investigators are also looking into whether there was something wrong with the brakes on the bus.
Anyone with information on the collision is asked to call 240-773-6620.
