Update (January 8, 2026): Authorities have identified the woman killed in this accident as Eva Allen, 20.

Fairwood, WA — January 5, 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a bus accident at about 5 p.m. in the 300 block of West Hastings Road.

Authorities said a woman was crossing the street near West Bellwood Avenue when she was hit by a Mead School District bus. She was in a crosswalk at the time of the collision.

The woman, whose name has not been made public yet, died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the King County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone is hit and killed by a school bus while crossing the street in a crosswalk, it raises immediate questions that go far beyond “Was the driver paying attention?” The key issue is: How could a professional driver operating a large vehicle in a predictable, low-speed environment like a school route fail to see someone in the road?

Depending on whether the victim had the right of way — and the available facts suggest she likely did, since she was reportedly in a crosswalk — then this starts to look less like an unpredictable accident and more like a serious breakdown in driver attention or vehicle operation. But we don’t know yet what led to the collision. Was the bus turning? Was visibility obstructed? Was the sun in the driver’s eyes? Had the pedestrian already cleared part of the crosswalk when the bus struck her?

Those aren’t just hypotheticals. I’ve handled cases where a crosswalk collision looked like a momentary lapse in judgment, but later turned out to involve deeper problems, like a driver distracted by their cell phone, or a company that skipped crucial safety training. School districts, like trucking companies, have a duty to vet and train drivers thoroughly. So if the evidence points to driver error, it’s worth asking: was this a one-time mistake or the product of a hiring system that let someone unfit for the job behind the wheel?

The only way to get those answers is through an in-depth investigation. That means securing the bus’s dash cam footage, checking for onboard telematics that track braking and speed, reviewing the driver’s cell phone records and looking at their history with the district. Unfortunately, police reports often stop at assigning fault without exploring whether the driver’s employer played a role behind the scenes.

It’s also worth noting what hasn’t been shared. Authorities haven’t said how fast the bus was going, whether it attempted to stop or what the lighting and traffic control devices at the intersection were like. Those details matter, and without them, there’s no way to fully understand who should be held accountable here.

Key Takeaways:

• If the pedestrian was in the crosswalk with the right of way, the burden is on the driver, and possibly the district, to explain how this happened.
• Critical unanswered questions remain, including whether the bus was turning, what visibility was like, and whether the driver was distracted.
• Independent investigation should focus on dash cam footage, black box data, driver records and employer safety policies.
• School districts have a legal duty to ensure their drivers are properly trained, screened and supervised.
• Early public reports don’t always reveal the full picture of accountability. Deeper evidence is needed to get the truth.