Wheels on the bus go round & round
Pedestrian Kevin Cox was shaken by what he saw early March 13 at the City Hall Annex on East Market Street. A man, “obviously drunk,” says Cox, waved at a bus to stop, and when it didn’t, lurched into the side of the bus, and fell into the street “with his head in the path of the right rear tire.” The bus stopped, according to Cox, and then took off once he had pulled the man out of the way.
“I think that driver would have done serious harm if I hadn’t pulled him out of the way,” says Cox. He wants to know whether it’s Charlottesville Transit System’s policy to drive off when someone is waving to get on a bus.
Actually, it sort of is. Says city spokesman Ric Barrick, “It’s a judgment call by the driver, if he can do it safely.” And because of safety concerns, it’s CTS policy not to let someone on the bus if intoxicated, and both Cox and the Charlottesville police incident report agree the man was drunk.
“The driver felt he was intoxicated,” says Barrick. “He was known to the drivers.” The bus driver saw the man walk over to the bus and hit himself on the bus, but did not see him go into the curb, as Cox reported, says Barrick.
Cox called 911 at 7:47am. According to the police report, the officer recognized Edward R. Walker, 51, as well, and determined he was intoxicated– but not drunk enough to be arrested. Walker allegedly told the officer he’d just been released from jail the previous evening… for public drunkenness. The officer says he did not talk to the 911 caller.
“They had my phone number,” counters Cox. And he disagrees on Walker’s level of impairment. “He was very drunk. The guy was comatose. He could barely talk. That’s why I called 911. He shouldn’t have been left alone.” Cox was worried the seriously impaired man could have lurched in front of some other unsuspecting driver.
Walker was later arrested around 9:15am on Elliewood Avenue, at that point, says the report, lying down and allegedly too intoxicated to get up.
Because no one was injured, the incident “didn’t get the same level of gravity” as an accident, says Barrick. And the city does not release the name of an employee not officially involved in an accident.
But what concerns Cox is that it could have been a very serious accident had he not been there, and he believes the driver should have stopped the bus. “What if it had been someone having an epileptic seizure?” he asks.
The bus did not stop when Walker fell into the street between the bus and the curb. It continued to move and so I frantically waved my arms trying to get the driver to stop and only then did the driver stop the bus. I believe that if I hadn’t been there the bus would have run over Walker. Because the driver didn’t stop, I was frantic to get Walker out of the way. I thought the bus might start moving again, and it did drive off the instant I got the very drunk Walker out of the way.
I would like to protest that I don’t think it is right for the CTS bus driver when traveling on Jefferson Park Ave.(or anywhere) to stop in the middle of the road to dispatch passengers and block the flow of traffic when there is room for the bus to move over to the curb to allow traffic to continue. This most likely is another CTS policy.
If the drunk could get to Elliewood in about an hour, I’m sure he would have been able to pull himself out of the harm’s way that he put himself in. The City took responsibility for the drunk and housed him for the night. He was already falling down drunk the next day by 7:45 AM. He’s going to have to change his ways and take responsibility for himself. If the bus driver did not see him fall, what is it that he was supposed to do.
There’s no way the man should have been made it from downtown to Elliewood Avenue if he was falling down drunk and a danger to himself. Do the police not patrol the streets at 8:00 a.m. any longer?
Squish him next time. Probably would be a better transit value than hauling around 3 people on each bus all day.
We ought to give all of these drunks a ride on the Bus… The trailways Bus to Atlanta. Let them deal with them.
Send Sick down there also since he seems so f***in concerned about providing for the staggering idiot’s personal protection at all times.
I imagine that he probably got a ride of some sort in order to make it all the way to Elliewood in that time period.
Kevin, you’re awesome– thanks for doing the right thing and helping the guy out. I’m just sorry that the bus driver couldn’t spare the 15 seconds to inquire if the man was okay, and to thank you for looking out for him.
Lord, the appalling manners and selfishness people display these days…
Okay boys,
Let’s not let this thread head down the toilet. I only wish we had more citizens like Kevin Cox, willing to post under their own names and stand behind what they say, instead of folks like “squish him” and “Jackie Gleason” hiding behind fake names and hurling insults. Really guys…what about the issues? Can’t we focus on the issues the post raises? If you’re pissed off, use it to craft an argument!
He probably got to Elliewood on a different bus.
The bus has mirrors and the drunk was pounding on the side of it. I don’t believe for one second that the driver didn’t see him fall.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for the drunk. He’s made his life the way it is. When I got him out of the street I did yell at him because he’s a damn fool. Still, he didn’t deserve to get run over.
What most people fail to realize is that their lives could take a drastic turn at any moment, and they could very well be the next town drunk in very short order. Don’t judge a town drunk simply because you haven’t been in their shoes yet.
Kevin, I’ll take your remark one step further. If the bus driver did not see the man fall, he has no business driving a CTS bus.
“A man, “obviously drunk,†says Cox, waved at a bus to stop, and when it didn’t, lurched into the side of the bus, and fell into the street “with his head in the path of the right rear tire.†The bus stopped, according to Cox, and then took off once he had pulled the man out of the way.” What else would anyone want the bus driver to do? I, quite frankly, don’t see what the problem is.
Also, I assume the bus driver was on the left as usual in the US and the man was on the right side of the bus in order to board (“with his head in the path of the right rear tire.†). If I had been standing while boarding the bus, I wouldn’t have been able to see someone on the ground underneath the bus and I will never believe the bus driver could see him while seated. I still want to know what people expect the bus driver to do.
The driver should have stopped the bus when the drunk fell against it. He didn’t stop then. When he did stop he should have gotten off the bus, checked the scene and then called the police.
“The driver should have stopped the bus when the drunk fell against it.” You were on the ground level and could see him fall against the bus. The driver would not have seen it and probably thought the man hit the bus with his fist out of anger.”When he did stop he should have gotten off the bus, checked the scene and then called the police.” Why? Had the man really committed a crime? Was there some emergency? If he thought the man was angry, would it be wise for the driver to get off of the bus? Hit bus, hit driver. If he thought some crime was being committed, he would not have to go “check out the scene” and he could radio in to have the police come. Bus drivers talk over the radio all day long. I am sure bus drivers see things that they may be concerned about (public brawling, car wrecks, fallen trees, fires, littering, etc.) frequently. They can not be expected to serve as the eyes and ears of the local protective services. It would serve the public a lot more if they could get their passengers to their connections so that they can get to work on time.
Sick is absolutely right. You never know what life is going to bring you.
Try substituting the words epilepsy or diabetes for alcoholism. You might be surprised how often these two conditions can mimic drunkenness. But, regardless of the underlying cause of the behavior, compassion never hurts.
Kevin’s actions certainly saved that driver a bunch of trouble. If he’d run over the guy there would have been an investigation by CTS and the CPD. One also assumes that the driver would have felt some measure of guilt for possibly killing someone.
Cville Eye asks what else one might expect the driver to do. The phrase “Are you okay?” would have been a great first step in the right direction.
The bus has mirrors. Big mirrors. Sick is right, if the driver didn’t see him he shouldn’t be driving. He should have stopped and gotten out and checked because it was the decent, humane thing to do.
Maybe he saw you in the mirror helping him and knew you and knew that you would do the decent and humane thing and the best thing he could do is get his passengers to work before their bosses do the indecent and inhumane thing and fire them for constantly being late to work because our bus drivers have a poor record of keeping to a schedule. And, yes, I no of two people who were fired using that excuse. An argument requires more than self-righteous indignation (”…because it was the decent, humane thing to do.”).
Cville Eye says: An argument requires more than self-righteous indignation (â€â€¦because it was the decent, humane thing to do.â€).
Honeybunch, this world desperately needs as many decent and humane people as possible. That’s a fact. Nothing self-righteous or indignant about it.
And that’s because there’s no argument in it, Sugar Pie, Sweetie Baby.
Arguing is overrated.
I appreciate Sick’s reminder that we don’t know what life may bring us. It’s made me think about my attitude,something I needed to do.
Kevin, my remarks about not knowing what life may bring us was directed at “squish him” and “Jackie Gleason”. I’m under the impression they seem to think it can never happen to them. I wonder if either one of them has ever seen a person eat out of a dumpster?
Curious why there isn’t more applause for Kevin saving the poor drunk’s life?
Ah but for the grace of good fortune, might I be the unfortunate one, something several of you should consider for a moment. Most of you would have walked [or more likely driven] on by as the guy’s head went pop like a melon under the bus wheels.
An operator of a large public conveyance has the duty to be hyper-aware of their surroundings - and sure without doubt that everything is clear to proceed. Doesn’t seem probable here, does it?
Hey Kevin, who gives a !%#**& what they say, you know you did good that day.
You know, sometimes a drunk is just a drunk. Not everybody has a back story. I have driven a bus and a fist on the side of a bus is not that loud from the drivers seat. I also still think a bus ticket to atlanta would make the charlottesville streets better.
Lets see, we have drop in centers, Mohr detox centers, shelters of various types, yet we still have these folks wandering aimless and drunk. Alcoholism is not a disease, it is a self induced individual character flaw just as drug addiction is. So one less of this ilk would not concern me in the least. You walk drunk into a bus and squishing may occur. So be it.
Squish, you sound exactly like a cop. Dealing with drunks…. just one more phase of the job you dislike. The less you have to deal with, the better, right? Then all you would have to do is ride around and listen to “My Humps” on the radio and run over wheelchair bound pedestrians.
And why it it the medical experts say alcoholism is a disease? Maybe you could teach them a thing or two. :)
Cop? No way would I base my individual earnings on the whims of a government. Libertarian facist yes, cop no.
OK. But I see you’ve been somewhat brainwashed too. Police salaries aren’t half as bad as they want you to think. Especially by the time you add in the benefits package and a take-home car at today’s gas prices.
You all add more reasons why Charlottesvile is no longer a best place in America to live. Sad, but true. Good luck to all of you and your hypocracies. Anti this, anti that - please find a positive person among you and ask for forgiveness.
You’ve never seen me claim Charlottesvile is one of the best places in America to live. And you never will.