King County Metro Bus Runs Over Homeless Woman on Renton Sidewalk, Driver Flees Scene

Just after 11 a.m. on March 10, 2021, a King County Metro bus pulled out of the South Renton Park and Ride and turned right onto South Grady Way. The driver cut the corner too tight. The bus's rear tires climbed the curb and rolled over Jessica Chapel, a 34-year-old homeless woman who had been resting on the sidewalk.

Chapel suffered catastrophic leg injuries. Surgeons were unable to save the limb. Her leg was amputated.

Witnesses and bus camera footage documented what happened next. The driver, Felicia Collins, stopped the bus and exited to check on Chapel. She called for emergency help. Then she canceled the call, got back behind the wheel, and drove away. A passerby had to call 911. Prosecutors later charged Collins with felony hit-and-run. She resigned from King County Metro before the agency could terminate her.

Bernard Law Group attorneys Kirk Bernard and Viivi Vanderslice filed a civil lawsuit against King County Metro and Collins in September 2021 in King County Superior Court. The complaint alleged negligence in the operation of a public transit vehicle and argued that Collins's decision to leave a severely injured person on the pavement without waiting for emergency responders compounded the harm. Bernard described the injuries as gruesome and questioned how a trained professional driver could have left Chapel bleeding on the sidewalk.

King County Metro, in response to press inquiries, stated that its operators are trained to call for help and remain on scene after any incident, and characterized Collins's conduct as contrary to that training.

No settlement or verdict amount has been reported in public records or press coverage; the case is documented here at the lawsuit-filing stage.