Police: No charges against bus driver in accident that cost woman her leg
Atlanta police say a woman who lost a leg and foot Wednesday afternoon after being hit by a Cobb County Transit bus walked into the path of the oncoming bus as it turned left at a green light.
The woman, 54-year-old Ruby Rhodes, was in stable condition Thursday in the intensive care unit at Grady Memorial Hospital.
No charges have been filed against the driver, Jean Louis, APD spokeswoman Kim Jones said late Wednesday. The investigation is ongoing.
"As [Louis] approached the intersection of Hamilton E. Holmes Drive and M. L. King [Jr. Drive], he had a green arrow to turn left," the APD spokeswoman said in a statement. "As Mr. Louis was making his turn, [Rhodes] stepped from the curb and entered the roadway in the crosswalk. As the bus was making its turn, the rear portion of the bus struck Ms. Rhodes causing her to fall to the ground."
A witness said Louis had pulled out of the Hamilton Holmes MARTA station and Rhodes apparently saw the bus approaching because she tried to walk faster.
"He just plain hit her and she just went down," said the witness, Krystle McGuire, of Atlanta. She said bus passengers yelled at the driver as he approached Rhodes, but he kept going even after hitting her.
Cobb County spokesman Robert Quigley said the bus was following route number 30, which originates at the Hamilton Holmes MARTA station and continues to the Cobb Civic Center.
The driver will be "removed from service" until an investigation is concluded, Quigley said.
Witnesses likely will never forget the gruesome collision.
"Her leg was completely detached from her body," said McGuire, 28.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
