Pedestrian killed in bus collision

A fatal collision occurred Friday in downtown Vancouver, involving a C-Tran bus and a pedestrian.

The crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. at Eighth and Washington streets, according to an emergency dispatcher.

The bus was turning left when it struck an adult woman in the crosswalk, police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.

According to the dispatcher, the pedestrian was trapped under the wheels of the No. 4 bus.

Vancouver paramedic-firefighter Kevin Stromberg said the first call came into the fire department at 11:29 a.m. and the first responder arrived three minutes later.

The paramedic saw that the victim was dead and requested the department’s technical rescue team.

Officers from the Vancouver Police Department interviewed witnesses. Passengers were taken off the bus and interviewed by police.

Taryn Park was riding the bus with her fiance, Eugene Kelly. Park frequents the No. 4 bus to get to work at the Target in Jantzen Beach.

“I can’t even breathe,” Park said after the incident. “I guess my quote of the day is ‘Never take life for granted.’ ”

Passengers and people passing by lingered in the area talking about what happened. Emergency personnel set up tarps around the scene of the accident.

The recovery of the body would be handled as discreetly as possible given the fact that bystanders were watching from the corners of the intersection, Stromberg said.

Vancouver police’s traffic unit is investigating the collision. C-Tran officials said the agency is ”fully cooperating.” The bus driver, Al Purvis, has been placed on paid administrative leave – in accordance with standard C-Tran procedure – pending the outcome of the investigation. Purvis is a 17-year veteran with the agency.