Agency: Ohio bus driver on phone when man killed

From The Associated Press:

CLEVELAND — An Ohio transit agency says a Cleveland bus driver was on her cell phone when her bus struck and killed a pedestrian in March.

The disclosure came as 49-year-old Angela Williams of Cleveland was indicted Thursday on a felony charge of aggravated vehicular homicide. If convicted, she could get up to five years in prison in the death of 59-year-old Patrick Merrill of Berea (buh-REE'-uh).

Williams had been charged with a less serious misdemeanor before the cell phone call was confirmed. Bus drivers in Cleveland are prohibited from using cell phones while behind the wheel.

The driver has been fired. She hasn't commented and didn't immediately respond to a message left Friday at a phone listed in her court record.

Williams was hired in 2003 and also fired after hitting a pedestrian in 2006, causing minor injuries. She returned to work after her union appealed the dismissal and an arbitrator ruled she should get her job back.