Driver of bus that killed pedestrian was on cell phone, prosecutors say

Investigators learned of the call by reviewing the driver’s cell-phone records.

Plain Dealer

The former RTA bus driver who killed a pedestrian in March was on her cell phone when she struck the man in a crosswalk in downtown Cleveland, prosecutors said.

Angela Williams, 49, of Cleveland, was charged Thursday with aggravated vehicular homicide. The felony offense carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison upon conviction.

Williams faced a misdemeanor charge until Cuyahoga County prosecutors reviewed her cell-phone records and found that she had placed a call moments before Patrick T. Merrill was struck March 21.

Prosecutors said Williams’ recklessness led to the death of the 59-year-old Berea man and the felony charge.

Merrill’s family agreed.

“The family was very numb when we learned that she was on the cell phone at the time of the accident,” said Tim Merrill, Patrick’s brother.

After Williams struck Merrill, she hung up from her call and called RTA dispatchers, prosecutors said. She told a dispatcher that a man walked into the bus as she was applying the brakes, according to a recording of the call. The dispatcher called 911.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority policy prohibits the use of cell phones and all listening devices by operators.

Merrill was walking in a crosswalk at Ontario Street and Rockwell Avenue when he was struck. Williams was turning left onto Ontario after stopping at a red light.

Williams was tested for drugs and alcohol immediately afterward, and the results came back negative.

She was fired April 1. She could not be reached to comment on the charge Thursday.