Man killed by Metro bus loved to talk, dance, 'feel good'
Don Williams lived his nickname – “Irie,” Rastafari for “feeling good.”
“He had so much love and energy,” his brother, Herb Williams, said Wednesday night as more than 100 family members and friends gathered in Westwood.
That’s where Don “Irie” Williams, 59, died the night before after being struck by a Metro bus.
Cincinnati police said a 30-year-old woman was driving a Metro bus near the Glenway Crossing Transit Center around 10:30 p.m. when she struck Williams.
Metro is conducting an internal investigation of the incident – its second pedestrian fatality of 2024 – as it cooperates with Cincinnati police's investigation, Metro spokesperson Brandy Jones said in a statement.
"Based on a very preliminary review though, the gentleman appears to have staggered and fallen near the mid-section of the bus as it slowly pulled away from the station," she said.
The driver is now on paid leave, standard in such investigations, Jones added.
'He was the party'
Williams lived in Columbus and frequently traveled to Cincinnati and Lexington, his brother said.
The father of five had a cleaning business, loved to talk and would “give you the shirt off his back,” sister Terrietta Williams said.
He also loved to dance, especially to reggae music, brother Herb Williams said. “When he was there, he was the party.”
Family members said Don Williams was hit after banging on the side of the bus for entry.
Herb Williams believes the Metro driver – who the transit agency has yet to identify – was negligent in not stopping for him.
“I think they killed my brother by her neglect,” he said. “He just wanted a ride.”
Witness to the aftermath
Ronnie Gross was in his car in the Glenway Crossing parking lot Tuesday night when he heard a woman at the bus stop call out. “She yelled ‘Oh my God! Are you OK? Are you all right?’ ”
When Gross approached the bus stop, he saw Williams laying in the street, just behind the stopped bus. He then saw emergency personnel cover Williams with a sheet.
“I went into prayer,” he said.
Gross said he believes Metro should install railings at bus stops to separate people and buses. He also thinks bus drivers should be required to stop when a passenger bangs on a bus.
'Irie, Irie, Irie'
Family and friends filled their Facebook pages with tributes to Williams on Wednesday. One announced the Wednesday night gathering at the bus stop, asking people to bring balloons and wear red, green and black, the colors of the Pan-African flag.
After Herb Williams led the crowd in chanting “Irie, Irie, Irie,” those gathered released their balloons.
Buses were slowed making their way through the crowd at the stop.
'Our worst fear'
Tuesday’s accident came just days after the family of another pedestrian killed by a bus filed a lawsuit against Metro’s owner, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Agency. Retired school teacher Beverly Kinney was struck and killed in Cincinnati's Hyde Park neighborhood on Jan. 11. The lawsuit filed by her family said the driver had an "abysmal driving record" and should not have been driving a bus.
“While we don’t know all the details of last night’s crash, another death has been our worst fear over the past five months," the family said in a statement Wednesday from lawyer Rex Elliott.
"Beverly Kinney’s death should have been a massive wake-up call to SORTA, and we are unaware of any changes that have been made to make the Metro bus system safer for the people of Cincinnati. The Kinney family sends its deepest condolences to the family of the man who died last night.”
Police said Wednesday that they were investigating whether speed or impairment contributed to the crash.
Witnesses are asked to call police at (513) 352-2514.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Metro bus killed pedestrian in Westwood
