SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Metro investigating alleged hit-and-run; driver on paid leave
Nov 10, 2014, 3:24 PM | Updated: 5:03 pm
Sean Millsap alleges a Metro bus hit his car Thursday and then took off. Metro Transit said it is investigating. (Photo courtesy Sean Millsap)
(Photo courtesy Sean Millsap)
A bus driver is on paid leave while Metro Transit investigates allegations of a hit-and-run collision last week.
Sean Millsap told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show he believes the driver hit his car Thursday on the corner of 5th Avenue and Battery Street.
He told Dori he was inside the gym, but a witness left a note on his car with the bus number.
Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer said the safety department and the driver’s supervisor are investigating the alleged crash and insists they take all collisions seriously.
The driver has been with Metro since May 2014. He was placed on paid administrative leave Friday.
Metro said accidents involving operators, depending on the results of an investigation and the severity of the accident, can lead to a one-on-one reinstruction with a trainer, a complete retraining, suspension or discharge.
In this case, Metro hasn’t yet made a final determination in the investigation.
A Metro spokesperson said they will follow up with customer service, but as of Friday, Millsap hadn’t yet contacted them about the details of the collision except with a general complaint about having to fill out the county’s claim form for an accident.
Per Metro, the law requires a person mail or deliver their claim with an original legal signature, not by photocopy/fax/online form. (RCW 4.96.020 and King County Code 2.21.070.)
