Woman hit by bus on Monroe Street
Witnesses say pedestrian was in crosswalk
A woman hit by a bus Friday in downtown Spokane is expected to live, police said.
But the extent of her injuries is unknown, said Spokane police Detective William Drollinger, and the woman was in the intensive care unit at Deaconess Medical Center following the accident, which occurred about 1 p.m. at Sprague Avenue and Monroe Street.
“Even though they’re nonlife-threatening doesn’t mean they can’t be life altering,” he said.
Witnesses said the woman was crossing Monroe Street in a crosswalk on the south side of Sprague Avenue when she was hit by a route 61 bus, which was turning southbound from Sprague onto Monroe.
“It said walk, so she was walking,” said witness Nikcole Schroeder, who works nearby at the Northwest Farmer-Stockman magazine.
The woman was hit near the southwest corner of the intersection.
The far left lane of Monroe was blocked by a truck hanging Christmas lights.
“She got hit and tried to stand up,” Schroeder said. “She was hurt pretty bad.”
The woman was alert and talking to Spokane police at the scene before being taken to Deaconess Medical Center.
Her name was not released because her family hadn’t been contacted, Drollinger said.
If citations are issued, it won’t be until after the investigation is complete, which would take a couple weeks, said Cpl. David Adams, the lead investigator.
Police interviewed bus passengers, who were then loaded onto another bus. Two police officers who were in a patrol car near the intersection also gave statements, Drollinger said.
Police closed the intersection until about 5 p.m.