On Tuesday around 6:30 pm, a Metro bus making a turn on Milam and Congress Street struck 36-year-old Michael Kenneth Unfried of Pasadena. Mr. Unfried died at the scene and is survived by his two children, ages 10 and 17. Prior to the incident, Mr. Unfried had been crossing the intersection, though it is still unclear whether he was on the crosswalk or not, when the bus turned and hit him. While the surveillance video of the incident is still being reviewed, it is believed Mr. Unfried was in the driver’s blind spot. The father of two had a career in the computer field and worked for the county. There were no other reported injuries, as the bus wasn’t carrying other passengers.
Prior to this incident, the driver, a 13-year veteran driver, had a good driving and safety record, with only one other incident on record. The bus driver previously clipped a low hanging tree limb. This recent fatality has been described as a “preventable accident” by Metro’s CEO Tom Lambert, which does not necessarily put fault on the driver, but implies that one party could have done something to avoid the incident. Mr. Lambert was quoted afterwards saying that Metro will redouble its efforts in pushing pedestrian safety among their employees while continuing to practice safe driving.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a pedestrian accident, please contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.