An investigation is underway after a man was struck and killed by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus in the East Village Friday night, officials said.

Shawn Gooding, 45, was hit by an MTA bus and killed at the corner of Avenue D and East 10th Street just before 11 p.m. Friday, according to the NYPD.

“Sometimes when they’re making that turn, they’re not going slow enough,” Thomas Curto told NY1 when asked about the MTA buses that travel in the neighborhood. “If they took a road test, they’d fail.”

What You Need To Know

  • A man was struck and killed by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus in the East Village Friday night
  • The NYPD said the bus was turning right and had the green light, but Shawn Gooding, 45, tripped and fell into the road
  • MTA data shows that bus collisions have become more common since 2020
  • The MTA said an investigation into the crash is ongoing

The bus was turning right at the intersection Friday night and had a green light. According to police, Gooding tripped and fell into the road near a marked crosswalk, and the rear of the bus struck him.

“A vehicle that big, you have to go slow. Because I’m short. All of us are very short. And that driver is about this high. It could easily miss us, he or she,” Curto said. “I have limited mobility. I don’t look like it, but I have trouble with my feet, and sometimes it takes me a while to make that corner. So if you’re coming down, there’s a few times I had to run back because they were going too fast on that turn. And if I don’t have that reflex, I might get hit.”

Another pedestrian told NY1 that she worries about her overall safety in the street.

“I had the green light for myself, like the walking [sign], but this car was just coming through, so it seems like people don’t care how they drive, especially drivers. They’re just reckless,” Elizabeth Falquez said.

The bus driver did not remain on the scene Friday after hitting the pedestrian because he was likely not aware he struck somebody, according to police.

Two different bus routes, the M14D and the M8, pass by the intersection where Friday's accident occurred.

One community member told NY1 that he has never seen an MTA bus being driven recklessly.

“They know how to turn and all that. I never seen them make a mistake,” Daniel Rodriguez said.

Still, bus collisions have become more common since 2020, according to MTA data.

There were 53 bus collisions per 1 million miles in January 2024, MTA data shows. That is down from last October, when there were more than 60 incidents per 1 million miles. That number is much higher than the 35 incidents per 1 million miles at the start of 2020.

“I know to look out for cars, and if they drive fast, I just step out of my way,” Falquez said.

The MTA said an investigation is ongoing. For now, the bus involved has been taken to the bus depot for inspection, according to sources.