City of Houston employee run over, killed by METRO bus

HOUSTON - A City of Houston employee was run over and killed by a METRO bus Friday morning in Downtown Houston.

Damilola Matuluko, who was a City of Houston Human Resources employee headed to work, was walking south on Smith Street just after 7:30 a.m.

Investigators say the pedestrian signal had given her the go-ahead to walk but once she was in the crosswalk, a METRO bus also heading South on Smith turned left on a green light onto Rusk Street, running the woman over and killing her.

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"The video we've been able to review so far indicates the pedestrian was in the crosswalk. The pedestrian had a walk signal, so it appears the pedestrian was legal in crossing the street at the time," explains Lt. Tim McClelland with METRO Police.

Lt. McClelland says at this point it appears the driver should have yielded the right of way to Matuluko and waited for her to cross the road. I'm told anytime something like this happens the driver is immediately taken for drug and alcohol testing to check for any possible impairment.

Investigators from the Harris County District Attorney's Office were also on the scene as they worked to determine if the bus driver would be charged.

The driver is a contract employee who works for a company called Transdev Mobility company. The driver is not a Houston METRO employee.

METRO has operating facilities all across the Houston area. One location is operated by the contract company TransDev and all the bus drivers at that facility are contract drivers.

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The number of contract workers varies weekly, but currently METRO has 432 contract bus drivers.

Transdev has reportedly placed the bus driver involved in the fatal accident on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation. 

The woman just started working in the City of Houston HR Department in December.

City of Houston HR Director Jane Cheeks gave this statement:

Damilola Matuluko joined the City of Houston HR Operations Employee Relations team in December 2023, supporting the Houston Public Works Department. Although Damilola had only been with the HR Department for a short time, she had become a beloved and impactful team member. She will be sincerely missed by her colleagues in the City of Houston.