So, PM, you had to go back 22 years to come up with 32 traffic deaths related to TriMet vehicles? Given the number of vehicles and mileage TriMet vehicles log, that's actually a remarkably LOW number, which I'm sure is far below the record of the general citizenry. Just giving that figure raw doesn't tell one much. Maybe 28 of those involved circumstances largely the fault of the people who were killed. When a bus making a tight turn runs over a bicyclist who, it turns out, was driving while iPoding is the bus or truck driver totally at fault there? Of if someone is too wrapped up in giggling with their friends to look over their shoulder to see what that sound (turning bus) is...surely some blame is shared. Pedestrians, like drivers, have a duty not to assume that the other party is as alert or aware as they are. I can tell you that if I hear a bus coming up behind me, my head turns, and if I see a bus even 10 feet away from me, at the speed buses turn, I'll be out of its way in time. We know that a lot of teen driving tragedies are due to the fact that they allow themselves to be distracted by their friends. While these victims were not exactly teens, there's an analogy: when walking with friends, one still has to be alert, and perhaps doubly so to compensate for the way friendly chatter claims part of our attention. We live in a city with a populace that has a built in suspicion of and hostility toward anyone representing authority or public institutions. There are many things we don't know here, which, if we knew them, might help us assess blame. Apparently the driver was sober and not texting. I notice they didn't say "not using her cell phone." So, there's some potential damnation there. Was there a health issue with the driver which makes the accident just one of those things, like an incident cause by a driver having a seizure and blacking out? Another unknown. How about the victims? Did they rush out to beat the light without really taking in the situation (perhaps assuming the bus would go straight and not turn). Let's not let our desire to understand this accident have us prematurely blaming anyone, because it's quite possible that once it all comes out, the victims may be deeply involved in the causality of this tragic incident.

shouldn't the bus have been turning right (not left)?

No dum dum...B'Way is a one-way south of Burnside, not on the Glisan side dum dum.

amanda thanks for sharing. as professional drivers for professional drivers this is actually a pretty high number. you are wanting to make analogies, so is it acceptable for a police department to accidently shoot 31 people over that period of time? or for me - i drive about 8,000 miles each month and have a clean driving record- to accidently hit a group of people, for any reason whatsoever? no, we do not pay cops to accidently shoot people and we do not pay bus drivers to hit pedestrians who are in the middle of a cross walk, with a walk signal. i hope you are eating your presumptive opinions and have followed this story. it was an illegal left hand turn, the group was directly in front of the bus, they didnt magically appear, and she came up on them. she was two lanes away, even if they had seen her how were they to know that a bus was going to make an illegal left hand turn directly into them. its a group of 5 people, not one person standing in a blind spot, not a cyclist speeding through the intersection. there was no reason for this tragedy to have occurred, these deaths were senseless. they were not drunk and goofing off. they were walking back to their car, in a crosswalk, with a walk signal, again two lanes away from the bus...and by the time they realized they were going to be hit, unless you're an amazingly talented long/triple jumper i doubt you or anyone could have covered the distance to avoid sustaining some injury. im not sure if you have ever had a vehicle come up on you at night, but when you suddenly have bright lights in your face, you may or may not be able to move, its terrifying.

yes pedestrians have to watch out for themselves, but when you are doing everything right there's no reason for you to be punished. life is not fair and s*** happens, but there is no good excuse for this. any normal driver would have charged at the scene for this obvious negligence. im sorry this happened to ms day, but sorry isn't enough. im not saying she needs to be persecuted, but you have to pass a test to drive, not to walk. when people screw up driving they have to pay for their mistakes, no matter how innocent. danielle was a good friend and erik was a doll and worshipped her. if he could have saved her or her him (as it seems) it would have happened. they were not stupid college kids, danielle was not an airhead. they are/were both loving, optimistic, but very aware people.

i honestly hope you never have to suffer through any tragedy especially something like this. jenee and danielle were incredible people and their death's are an ominous and morose reminder of the risks we assume as pedestrians and as drivers...this is an issue that needs to be addressed, driving is not a birth right, perhaps fewer people should be allowed the responsibility.

ARGUING WILL NOT MAKE THINGS BETTER! LETS REMEMBER ALL OF THE GOOD TIMES AND SMILES THAT THESE TWO BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMEN BROUGHT TO THIS WORLD!!

@ KPARSONS Didn't you read the last paragraph of the commenter above you?