Phoenix, AZ — April 11, 2025, Mike Do was killed in a bus accident at about 11:30 a.m. on Peoria Avenue near 28th Drive.

Authorities said a motorcycle was headed west on Peoria when a Valley Metro paratransit bus pulled out on front of it while trying to make a left turn. The motorcycle hit the bus, throwing the rider into another vehicle that was stopped in traffic.

Motorcyclist Mike Do, 20, died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

No other injuries were reported.

The bus driver, who cooperated with authorities after the crash, did not show any signs of intoxication, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a paratransit bus pulls into the path of a motorcyclist, the key legal issue is whether the driver failed to yield the right of way. Based on early information, that appears to be exactly what happened here. A left-turning vehicle has a duty to wait until the roadway is clear, and that includes being aware of smaller, more vulnerable road users like motorcyclists.

According to the report, the Valley Metro bus was making a left turn when it pulled out in front of an oncoming motorcycle, which then struck the bus. The impact was so severe that the rider was thrown into another vehicle stopped in traffic. The fact that the rider was wearing a helmet and still died from his injuries tells us just how violent the collision was. Helmets save lives, but they’re not a shield against the kind of force generated when a rider hits a bus.

From a legal standpoint, the responsibility falls on the bus driver to ensure the intersection is clear before turning. That includes accounting for oncoming motorcycles, which are harder to see but no less entitled to the use of the road. In my experience, crashes like this often come down to the driver simply not seeing the motorcycle, or misjudging its speed and distance. Either way, those are failures of perception and judgment, not accidents without cause.

Investigators should be reviewing all available video footage, including from the bus itself if onboard cameras were active. Those recordings can show whether the motorcyclist had a clear path and how much time the bus driver had to react. Traffic signal timing, line of sight and visibility at the intersection should also be examined to determine whether the rider had any chance to avoid the crash.

This incident also raises questions about the training and oversight of public transportation drivers. Was this driver adequately trained in handling left turns in busy traffic? Were they familiar with the specific risks of interacting with motorcycles, which require greater attention than larger vehicles? Public service vehicles like paratransit buses carry a higher obligation to operate safely, precisely because of the trust placed in their drivers.

Ultimately, this crash should never have come down to a question of visibility or timing. A rider with the right of way should be able to travel through an intersection without having to guess whether a vehicle is going to turn into their path. The fact that that didn’t happen here means something went wrong, and it’s the job of this investigation to determine exactly what that was and whether it could have been prevented. Because legally and practically, a left turn in front of oncoming traffic isn’t just a mistake: it’s a breach of the duty every driver owes to the people they share the road with.