Two women were killed in separate accidents involving RTD buses within an hour and a half of each other Thursday afternoon.
One woman died in southern Jefferson County after her car hit a Regional Transportation District bus that was carrying three passengers at about 2:30 p.m.
Debbie Trygstad of Littleton, who turned 55 on Thursday, was identified as the victim, Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Jeff Goodwin said in a statement.
Trygstad tried passing the bus in a no-passing zone on the West Hampden Avenue service road at South Teller Street, Goodwin said. The green Cadillac sedan she was driving crashed into the bus as it was turning left, Goodwin said.
The Cadillac spun clockwise then rolled, ejecting Trygstad. No charges are pending against the bus driver. Alcohol or drugs are not suspected.
At about 4 p.m., an RTD bus struck a pedestrian in a downtown Denver intersection, said police spokesman Sonny Jackson.
The bus was heading east from the Auraria Campus onto Larimer Street, and the woman apparently stepped in front of the bus, said RTD spokesman Scott Reed.
“We don’t know exactly what happened,” Reed said.
Jackson said the woman, a student at Auraria, was hit in the crosswalk. She was hospitalized and died about 8 p.m., he said.
“We will present the case to the DA to determine whether or not charges will be filed,” Jackson said.
Reed said the driver and two passengers aboard that bus all said they didn’t see the pedestrian. He said the driver has been with RTD for about 15 years and has a clean driving record.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the two victims of these tragic accidents,” Reed said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
