Woman denied bus ride over mask dies after the bus ran her over, California cops say

A woman died after she was run over by a bus driver who wouldn’t let her on board because she wasn’t wearing a face mask, California police said.

The woman tried to board a Valley Transportation Authority bus on Feb. 9 and was denied a ride, the San Jose Police Department said.

Masks are required on public transit in California and indoors in Santa Clara County, according to the Bay Area News Group. A VTA spokeswoman told the news outlet the woman refused to wear a mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“The rider was not wearing a mask and was not allowed to board the bus,” police said in a Feb. 23 news release. “As the bus pulled away from the curb, the waiting passenger, an adult female, tripped and fell to the ground.”

The back tires of the bus ran over the woman, police said. Authorities did not know why the woman fell.

She was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died 12 days later on Feb. 21, police said.

The woman was not identified. Her death was the city’s ninth pedestrian death of the year, San Jose police said.

“It’s a very confusing situation,” John Courtney, president of the VTA union that represents bus drivers, told Bay Area News Group. “Passengers don’t always know they need to wear masks.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 8:21 AM with the headline "Woman denied bus ride over mask dies after the bus ran her over, California cops say."