Metro driver who struck, killed woman previously crashed into UC student’s car, seriously injured him

By Karin Johnson

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A Metro bus driver who was involved in a crash that killed a retired Princeton school teacher earlier this month was previously involved in another serious crash, according to a WLWT investigation.

Beverly Kinney, 87, was killed on Jan. 11 after being struck by a bus in Hyde Park. Police said she was walking in a marked crosswalk at the time.

WLWT is not naming the driver of the bus, because he has not been charged with a crime. After digging through hundreds of pages of public records, WLWT learned of another crash that a Metro driver was involved in in 2018. That crash left a University of Cincinnati student disabled, possibly for the rest of his life.

DeCarlo Fowler was 24 years old at the time. He was studying business administration at UC and working at UPS.

WLWT caught up with DeCarlo and his mother, Caroleann Fowler, this week. She is his caretaker. When not in a wheelchair, DeCarlo is bed-bound. When WLWT met him, he showed off his favorite sneakers. They were orange and black for his favorite sports team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’m 100 percent on the right side of my body, and on the left side of my body, I have low to no mobility there at all,” DeCarlo said.

He was injured on Dec. 1, 2018. He was driving to work that morning when he was hit by a Metro bus at the intersection of Findlay Street and Winchell Avenue.

According to a crash report, the Metro driver “ran the red light and struck” DeCarlo.

Thankfully, a witness called 911 and medics were on the scene quickly.

“If they wouldn’t have gotten to him within in 5 -10 minutes, he would have been deceased,” Caroleann Fowler said.

DeCarlo was in a coma for two months before being transferred to the ICU at Drake. He then spent the next two years in and out of nursing homes and hospitals and continues to receive therapy twice a week.

“His life has been destroyed, his quality of life,” Caroleann Fowler said.

DeCarlo continues to get his nutrition through a feeding tube.

“I’m very happy that, yes, my heart is ticking and beating, but as far as my life goes as a young man who used to live life, I am not that person anymore,” DeCarlo said.

The Fowlers didn’t know until WLWT brought it to their attention, that the driver who hit Decarlo was behind the wheel during the crash involving Kinney.

“To hear that, it’s very sickening that he’s allowed to get back on the road,” DeCarlo said. “I mean, I’m alive. That’s a blessing to be alive, but that’s horrible that you’re still allowed to go out there and drive.”

Cincinnati police and Metro are still investigating the crash that killed Kinney, so public records related to her death are not yet available.

WLWT did obtain Metro’s investigative report from the 2018 crash that says the driver “was heading back to the garage. He ran a red light and struck vehicle.”

The transportation safety specialist wrote that had the driver “made sure he obeyed the red light, the collision would not have happened.”

Cincinnati police never charged the bus driver in that case who at the time, was on the job less than a year.

He was placed on leave pending the investigation.

Metro said in a written statement to WLWT, “The investigation determined that the police did not cite the operator in this accident. It was also the operator’s first preventable accident while employed at Metro. Prior to returning to work, the operator underwent operator refresher training, which is standard safety protocol for any operator who has been on extended leave.”

“Yes, something terrible did happen to my son. Yes, something again has happened that’s terrible, but this has caused someone to lose their life. we need some accountability,” Caroleann Fowler said.

As WLWT continues to push for answers. DeCarlo is finding ways to put the joy back in his heart.

“Right now, my main goal is to fix my body,” DeCarlo said.

He finds pleasure in nature and walks with his mom and in the Bengals.

“That’s my man, Joe Burrow,” DeCarlo said with a huge smile.

Above all, DeCarlo lets his faith lead the way.

“I have the mind to where I am going to be OK. I’m not just going to settle for where I’m at right now. I know this is just a step, and I have to keep on moving,” DeCarlo said.

With God and his mother by his side, DeCarlo embraces the dream to one day tie his own laces, and for the very first time, walk in his beloved Bengals shoes.

“I know you are going to get up. I just pray that I get to see it in my lifetime,” Caroleann Fowler said. “He said this year. So God, this year.”

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