'I did not even see the person.' Driver who hit retired schoolteacher plans guilty plea

The Metro bus driver charged in the January death of a pedestrian will plead guilty to at least some of the charges against him in the case, his attorney said Monday.

Deon Willis is scheduled for a Tuesday hearing in Hamilton County Municipal Court, where he is facing five misdemeanor charges of vehicular manslaughter after retired schoolteacher Beverly Kinney was hit and killed on Jan. 11.

Attorney Richard Goldberg on Monday confirmed Willis' plea. Willis will likely be sentenced at a later date, Goldberg said, assuming the court will ask for a victim impact statement from Kinney's family.

Separately, Metro confirmed that it terminated Willis last month for failing to follow its procedures for turning, "which resulted in a preventable pedestrian accident."

In a June 10 letter, Metro told Willis his termination was effective on that date and that he would receive his final pay on June 13.

Willis had been on paid leave since Kinney's death, as police and Metro officials completed separate investigations. His annual salary was just more than $67,000, more than double the $31,000 he earned when hired in February 2018.

Drivers 'must always' yield to pedestrians, Metro says

On May 16, Metro ruled that the accident was preventable because Willis failed to meet its expectations that drivers:

• Use "the highest degree of care to prevent collisions."
• Always be aware of their surroundings.
• Make sure crosswalks are clear before moving forward.
• Follow turning procedures.

The turning procedures, 10 in all, require that drivers "MUST always yield the right of way to pedestrians."

"Prior to entering the crosswalk you must check for pedestrians in all directions, expect the unexpected, check your blind spots," another procedure reads.

Willis appealed Metro's ruling that the accident was preventable, according to a May 31 document provided by Metro. Asked to describe the accident in his appeal, Willis wrote "Do not recall." Asked why Metro should "reclassify" the accident, he wrote, "I did not even see the person."

An internal committee rejected his appeal June 5, and Metro fired him five days later – the same day the family of Beverly Kinney filed a civil lawsuit against him and Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, Metro's operator.

Kinney, 87, was hit while crossing Duck Creek Road on Dana Avenue in Hyde Park. Heading south to return to her condo building just three blocks away, she was in the crosswalk with the walk signal when Willis turned right into her path, according to a Cincinnati police report.

The Kinney family lawsuit seeks a jury trial on counts that include wrongful death, negligence and recklessness. The suit also asks SORTA to complete an audit of how Metro hires and trains drivers, and release it to the public.

The first hearing in the case, filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, is Sept. 25.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'I did not even see the person.' Driver who hit retired schoolteacher plans guilty plea