Flowers, farewell letters, a poinsettia, a heart cushion that says "I love you", and candles adorn a little tree about 10 yards from one of the busiest intersections in downtown. For anyone that did not cross this intersection exactly a week ago would not know what this shrine was for. To this date no one has reported on the horrific accident that occurred on the morning of Wednesday January 7th.
January 7th was just like any other morning, running late as usual as I walked out of the parking structure checking my phone for the time. With two minutes to eight and the Dash right in front of me, I decided just to power walk the three long blocks to work. As I crossed 4th street I noticed more traffic than usual. I told myself how glad I was that I didn't take the Dash. As I got closer I noticed that Flower St was completely closed and traffic was diverted. Behind the yellow tape there was a bus in the middle of the street. And then I saw blood and what looked like skin chunks. As I realized what had happened I looked away and hoped the person made it. When I walked into my building I asked the security what happened. He began to explain how a lady crossing the street at 6:30 am heading to work was hit by the bus. He then began to describe what she looked like afterwards and I was horrified. I couldn't believe that had happened right in front of my building. It seemed like the bus was making a left onto Flower St and hit her. Wondering what exactly had happened my coworkers and I tried to find more information on the accident online. The next day the same thing; no news reporting or news reels. We began to wonder if it was just a bum or a "working" woman that got hit, since no one bothered to report on it.
Yet, I was still confused at how this news story had slipped through the cracks, since after all it did involve a bus driver. I know driving in LA is horrible, but sometimes bus drivers are extra aggressive and cunning. I know they have deadlines to meet and Angelino drivers sometimes don't give them the courtesy, but I really wonder what happened here. Later that week we received an email from building management explaining that the victim was a 58-year-old woman, Gwendolyn Coleman that worked for a company in the Paul Hastings building. She was the mother of three and had a grandchild. She had worked for her company for more than twenty years.
This was very sad to hear. Hundreds of people cross these streets everyday and I know the last thing on our minds while walking to work is getting hit by a bus. Well my rundown is that I hope that whatever happened on Flower Street gets properly investigated and if it was the bus driver's fault than I hope they prosecute the person to the full extent of the law, since I think Ms. Coleman deserves justice. RIP Ms. Coleman
No comments:
Post a Comment