City of Detroit sued over deadly DDOT bus crash

DETROIT – A new lawsuit was filed against the city of Detroit and a DDOT bus driver who is facing charges after running over and killing a woman in June 2023 in downtown Detroit.

Geraldine Johnson was behind the wheel when 67-year-old Janice Bauer was hit and killed while she walked across the street.

A new disturbing video shows Bauer was hit and then dragged while crossing the street at West Congress and Griswold streets. Bauer’s sisters told Local 4 that what makes her death even more heartbreaking is she worked at SMART, the public transportation company in Oakland County.

“It was hard to talk about how much she relied on public transportation, and that’s how she died,” said younger sister Margaret Bauer.

Janice was the middle child of five.

“She was all about safety,” said another younger sister, Linda Bauer. “She didn’t drive, but when I drove to go home, she would say, ‘Call me when you get home, so I know you got home safe and sound.”

Linda and Margaret said growing up in Detroit, their older sister would take them on the bus to go to festivals, and now they can’t even look at a bus.

“SMART Bus wanted to commemorate Janice at the funeral by driving a bus,” Margaret said. “They had a special bus they grant to a service, and I asked them not to. I had to explain to them my sister just got killed by a bus.”

When they learned the driver of that DDOT bus, Geraldine Johnson was involved in seven other crashes, including one that killed Joey Davis in 2015, they felt no other family should have to go through their pain.

“We thought we need to do something because that (Joey Davis’ death) wasn’t enough to make a change to not let someone drive a bus again,” said Margaret.

The Bauer family hired attorney Heather Atnip.

“Every weekend, we have a game (in Downtown Detroit),” Atnip said. “I wake up on Monday hoping that I don’t hear about another tragedy as this case unfolds.”

She filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit, DDOT, the bus drivers’ union, and Johnson, alleging gross negligence in hiring policies.

“The policies and procedures that allow for a DDOT driver to take time off work for a year and a half and then return with basically an expunged record is ridiculous, it’s offensive, it is designed to cause further harm,” Atnip said.

She’s also accusing the city of withholding information and video.

The city of Detroit declined to comment pending litigation.