Detroit has agreed to pay $5.85 million to settle a lawsuit over the death of Janice Bauer, a 67-year-old pedestrian who was hit by a city bus while crossing a downtown crosswalk in June 2023. The case involves the same bus driver, Geraldine Johnson, who had been involved in a previous fatal accident in 2015.
Judge Kathleen McCarthy of Wayne County approved the settlement last week, according to court records. Bauer’s family had filed the lawsuit after the tragic incident in which Johnson’s bus struck her.
Geraldine Johnson had a troubling record behind the wheel. Attorneys representing Bauer’s estate revealed in court filings that Johnson was involved in 19 other accidents and was known by first responders as a risky driver. The earlier fatal accident happened when a man was struck and killed while trying to get his bike off the front of Johnson’s bus.
Johnson was sentenced to six months in jail last year after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of a moving violation causing death. Despite her history, the drivers’ union suggested that Johnson did not want to keep driving after the first death but was forced to do so to maintain her city job.
Johnson has not made any public comments about Bauer’s death. Her lawyer in the criminal case said Johnson “simply didn’t see her” at the time of the accident.
This settlement brings a close to a tragic series of events linked to a driver with a challenging safety record. It also raises questions about how such risks are managed by the city and its transit system.