Detroit bus driver convicted in crash that killed Grosse Pointe Park woman

DETROIT — The driver of a DDOT bus that struck and killed a woman in downtown Detroit has been convicted.

Geraldine Johnson, 61, was behind the wheel of a Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus when Janice Bauer, 67, of Grosse Pointe Park, was killed at the intersection of Congress and Congress Streets at approximately 7:30 a.m. on June 2, 2023 Griswold Streets.

Prosecutors said Johnson was turning left onto Griswold Street when she struck and killed Bauer, who was crossing the street on a green light. Paramedics pronounced Bauer dead at the scene.

“This case is tragic in every way. Janice Bauer lost her life. The alleged facts are that defendant Geraldine Johnson literally ran over her with the city bus she was driving, causing her death,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Johnson was charged with a traffic violation resulting in death. On August 26, 2023, she pleaded no contest to the charges.

On Thursday, October 3, 2024, Johnson was sentenced to two years probation and one year in prison. The first six months of her sentence will be served in the Wayne County Jail and the remaining six months will be suspended. If she violates her probation, she will spend the final six months in prison.

Johnson was involved in one fatal accident in 2015, one accident in 2018, two accidents in 2019, one accident in 2020, one accident in 2021 and another accident in 2022.

—> DDOT driver charged in fatal crash was involved in seven other crashes, including fatal bus crash in 2015