Coroner identifies bicyclist fatally struck by EVSC school bus
EVANSVILLE — The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office identified the bicyclist who was fatally struck by a school bus Tuesday morning as 62-year-old Albert Leroy Page.
The coroner's office said Page was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred just after 8:50 a.m. near the intersection of West Louisiana and Mary streets. There were no students on the bus at the time of the collision.
Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said arriving officers found Page laying "in the street next to the school bus." Investigators remained on scene for more than an hour and could be seen carrying Page's mangled bicycle away. The school bus bared Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation markings.
According to Gray, the school bus appeared to be traveling north on Mary Street before it took a left-hand turn onto West Louisiana Street and collided with Page, who was reportedly cycling in the eastbound lane of Louisiana Street.
There is no stop sign for West Louisiana Street cyclists and drivers at that intersection. According to the posted signage, the school bus driver was obligated to yield to West Louisiana Street traffic before turning left off of Mary Street.
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In a statement to the Courier & Press, EVSC spokesman Jason Woekenberg said the school corporation will "refer to EPD's accident report for details on this investigation." The statement did not address when or if the school bus driver will resume their usual route or if they will face disciplinary action.
Bob Stevenson, a West Louisiana Street resident, told the Courier & Press he heard the bus screech to a halt moments before the collision.
"When I heard those brakes lock up, I looked outside and saw someone under that bus," Stevenson said. "A fire truck came down, so did the cops, the coroner, everybody."
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Stevenson did not see the collision itself, and Gray said detectives were combing the surrounding neighborhood for any potential witnesses and video footage of the incident.
"The driver of the bus fully cooperated with the investigation and was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw, which is normal protocol after a fatality accident," Gray said Tuesday afternoon. "This investigation is still active."
The EPD is asking any witnesses to contact the department's Adult Investigations Unit at 812-436-7879
Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Bicyclist dead after collision with school bus in Evansville
