Officials with the GRTC Transit System were reinforcing a message of safety to their drivers yesterday in the wake of an accident a day earlier in which a bus struck and killed a pedestrian.
While the transportation agency began meeting with drivers to review safety measures, the Richmond police crash analysis and reconstruction team continued its investigation of Wednesday's accident.
The bus operator, who has been driving for GRTC for three years, has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the police investigation, said Kathy Shaw Clary, a spokeswoman for GRTC.
Richmond prosecutor Colette McEachin said authorities plan to decide by the end of today on possible charges in the case, which could include involuntary manslaughter.
The accident killed Loucendia Reed Lambert, 55, of the Prince George County community of Disputanta. Lambert worked for the Virginia Department of Health in the state's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program, a program that identifies and treats hearing loss for all children born in Virginia hospitals.
She was declared dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at North 14th and East Franklin streets, a short distance from the health department's main office building in the 100 block of Governor Street.
William N. Bland and Son Funeral Home in Petersburg is handling funeral arrangements.
A.J. Hostetler, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Health, said Lambert had worked in social services before joining the health department screening program. She had learned American Sign Language to help with families whose newborns had been identified with a permanent hearing loss, Hostetler added. "It shows how dedicated she was to bettering the lives of other people."
Health Commissioner Karen Remley sent an e-mail Tuesday afternoon to the staff in the Madison Building, where Lambert had worked.
"She was a compassionate and generous spirit, the kind of person who thought of others and lifted their spirits, despite her own challenges. Lou's distinctive laugh will be missed greatly on the eighth floor by her co-workers," Remley wrote.
Clary said GRTC, which operates more than 180 buses that travel more than 5 million miles annually and carry more than 41,100 passengers daily, is using the fatality to remind drivers of the importance of safety.
Supervisors have already begun meeting with individual drivers, and John M. Lewis Jr., CEO of GRTC, is scheduled to hold sessions with large groups of drivers next week about safety, Clary said.
The Richmond police crash team investigation began with its specialists spending about three hours at the scene of the accident.
Among the tools the crash team has at its disposal is video footage from several cameras mounted on the outside of the bus.
The crash team is called to investigate all fatal accidents and other serious crashes in the city. The team's specialists have advanced training in such subjects as crash reconstruction, human factors and pedestrian-accident investigation.
Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or jmacenka@timesdispatch.com.
Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or kcalos@timesdispatch.com.
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