SEATTLE — The suspect involved in a collision that killed a woman and sent a King County Metro bus crashing into a building in Seattle's Belltown area on Saturday afternoon was arrested, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Police said a 31-year-old man will be booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide once he's medically cleared from Harborview Medical Center. Investigators found evidence of possible drug usage in his vehicle and served a blood warrant for a DUI investigation.
Seattle police said the man was driving a red sedan southbound on 5th Avenue when he collided with a bus traveling eastbound on Battery Street. The collision forced the bus off the roadway, where it struck and killed a 28-year-old woman on the sidewalk, according to police.
The victim, Amanda Schneider, worked as a trainer at the Washington Athletic Club and was studying to become a psychologist. Her mother told KING 5 that she "left this Earth with still so much to give to the world."
Eleven people who were passengers on the bus were in stable condition, and eight of those people were taken to Harborview Medical Center. As of Monday morning, the driver of the sedan had been upgraded to satisfactory condition, according to Harborview.
“You can see the human suffering around it because there’s screaming and obviously someone who was really injured at least in the car," said Mike Fulop, who lives near where the crash happened. "The emergency services came really fast and I saw them using the jaws of life."
Firefighters confirmed there was no one inside the impacted portion of the building at the time of the crash.
"All of a sudden, my back was turned to the window and I felt a loud thud," said Hardik Dalal who lives on the corner of 5th Avenue and Battery Street, directly above where a King County Metro bus crashed into the building.
I heard a loud thud. I turn around to look at the window because I thought something had fallen and I see a dust cloud come up from the window. I look down and basically see the bus impaled by the side of the building."
Dalal said metro passengers were frantically trying to get out of the bus.
"Just panic," Dalal said. "They were freaked out. They were trying to get off as soon as possible."
Attorney Chris Davis represents one of the passengers who was treated at the hospital.
Davis said his client is still recovering from his injuries. Eight of the 11 passengers taken to Harborview have been released.
"You can tell it's a pretty significant collision," Davis said. "All of a sudden he's slammed into the side of the bus and the bars and loses a couple teeth and has some lacerations on his head and chin and finds himself on the ground."
Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation unit are looking into the incident.
“This tragic incident involving a vehicle and one of our buses is heartbreaking," King County Metro said in a statement. "Our primary concern is with the loss of life and the health of those who were injured."
King County Metro said the bus operator was treated and is currently on leave which is normal protocol.
Meanwhile, flowers continue to be placed where the young woman was killed.
"I just didn't ever imagine that something like this could ever happen," Dalal said.