KILLED ON WALK HOME
Woman, 83, hit by bus; driver cuffed
An MTA bus driver was arrested after he slammed into a 83-year-old woman crossing the street in Brooklyn, killing her, police said Thursday.
Driver Audley Smith, 62, was making a right turn off Stillwell Ave. onto Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst when he hit Yu Qing Chen about 8:05 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.
“After dinner every night she goes to the park for exercise and to see her friends and on the way back she was just struck,” said her grandson, Simon Chen.
Chen was crossing in the crosswalk from the northeast corner to the northwest corner, just a few blocks from her home, when she was hit, according to cops. She suffered severe head trauma.
Medics rushed her to Maimonides Medical Center, where she died.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to Ms. Chen’s family,” NYC Transit President Andy Byford said.
Smith stayed at the scene. His bus had no riders when he crashed because he was heading to his first stop on the B6 route near the CanarsieRockaway Parkway L train station, according to the MTA.
He is being kept off buses pending a full investigation, according to MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein.
Smith was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care and given a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 Tony Utano called the crash a "terrible, tragic accident” that has traumatized Smith.
“This is a terrible, tragic accident and our hearts go out to this poor woman and her family. Our operator is a veteran with an excellent record, and he is absolutely devastated,” Utano said. “He was taken to the hospital for trauma. These are complex investigations with many factors to consider, including bus operator blind spots, and we are conducting our own investigation into what transpired.”