DDOT bus driver had fatality on record before crash that killed Grosse Pointe Park woman
Janice Bauer was so dedicated to her job she never missed a day of work in a decade with SMART, but now her co-workers are grieving her loss as a victim of a tragic and troubling crash involving a Detroit Department of Transportation bus.
Bauer was struck June 2 as she walked on Congress at Griswold in the city’s downtown by a DDOT bus whose driver, according to court records and news media reports, had been involved in a previous fatal crash involving a pedestrian.
Bauer, 67, worked at the time of the crash on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and other issues for the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, where SMART’s General Manager Dwight Ferrell said she made an impact on those around her.
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“She was a kind and sweet person who loved Detroit. She loved its people. And she loved working in the heart of this great city so much so that she never missed a day of work, even during the pandemic,” Ferrell said in a statement. “Her work ethic and commitment to the people we serve every day was unparalleled.”
Police have not released where Bauer was headed at the time of the crash; SMART’s offices are located in the nearby Buhl Building.
The Free Press has requested additional information from Detroit police. The case is under review by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, according to spokeswoman Maria Miller.
Ferrell called Bauer a “true friend to so many on the SMART team” and said the loss would have a profound impact on her co-workers.
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Bauer, who lived in Grosse Pointe Park, was born and raised in northwest Detroit. She also loved the Tigers and was a member of the Detroit Historical Society and the Rhythm Section of the Detroit Jazz Fest, and she volunteered in a variety of roles, including as a reader to children in Harper Woods, according to her obituary.
A sibling of Bauer declined to comment to the Free Press. A search of court records did not indicate a lawsuit has been filed.
Police have been investigating the crash, which happened about 7:40 a.m. June 2. A statement from John Roach, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan released after the incident, described the bus driver as a 26-year veteran of the department and said she’d been pulled off the road. It also noted steps the city is taking in light of the incident. Roach referred back to the initial statement when the Free Press reached out this week.
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“Mayor Duggan has directed Senior Advisor and Counsel Hassan Beydoun to thoroughly review the city’s practices and make recommendations as any steps that should be taken to prevent tragedies in the future," the statement said.
The June 2 incident followed a 2015 crash involving the same driver, which killed Joey Davis, as detailed by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 and confirmed by a source with knowledge of the case but who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Davis was run over retrieving his bicycle from a bus rack after getting off the bus on Van Dyke south of Eight Mile, according to Wayne County Circuit Court records.
That case led to a $4.5 million settlement with the city in 2016, according to Wayne County Circuit Court records.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Janice Bauer was killed by DDOT bus after working decade for SMART
