DETROIT – A judge revealed that the driver of a DDOT bus who is accused of running over and killing a woman in Downtown Detroit has been involved in several other crashes, including another fatal crash.
Geraldine Johnson, 59, of Detroit, was behind the wheel of a Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus when Janice Bauer, 67, was killed at 7:30 a.m. on June 2 at the intersection of Congress and Griswold streets.
Police said Bauer was using a walker in the crosswalk when the DDOT bus turned left onto Griswold Street and struck her. Bauer was pronounced dead at the scene.
Johnson has been charged with one count of moving violation causing death in this crash. During Johnson’s arraignment on Wednesday, the judge said Johnson had been involved in several other crashes in her personal vehicle and in a DDOT bus.
Johnson was involved in a deadly crash in 2015, a crash in 2018, two crashes in 2019, one crash in 2020, one crash in 2021, and another crash in 2022.
In 2015, Johnson was driving a DDOT bus when she struck and killed Joey Davis. After that crash, Johnson was retrained and allowed to return to work as a bus driver.
The court found Johnson to be a danger. She was given a $100,000 personal bond and if she is released from custody she will not be allowed to drive a vehicle.