An 85-year-old woman is dead after her car ran a stop sign and slammed into the side of a SARTA bus in Canton, Ohio, on Friday afternoon, sending several bus passengers to local hospitals with minor injuries. Canton Police Chief John Gabbard identified the driver as Dina Agelopoulos, who was behind the wheel of a 2007 Toyota Camry when the crash happened near Cleveland Avenue NW and 35th Street NW.
According to WTOL, the crash happened around 1:05 p.m. Friday, August 14, when Agelopoulos was driving westbound on 35th Street NW and failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection with Cleveland Avenue NW. Her Camry struck the passenger side of a northbound SARTA bus that was traveling in the right lane of Cleveland Avenue NW, per WOIO. Agelopoulos was transported to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Canton police have said drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be factors in the crash. The SARTA bus driver was not injured, according to police, but several bus passengers sustained minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals, WOIO reports.
Specialized Crash Team Reconstructing the Collision
The Canton Metro Crash Team responded to the scene and continues to investigate how the collision unfolded. The unit, established in June 2017 under the Canton Police Department Traffic Bureau, is a multi-agency team that draws officers from Canton, the Stark County Sheriff's Office, and neighboring municipal departments, according to the City of Canton. Anyone with information about the crash can contact the Canton Police Department Traffic Bureau at 330-438-4485.
The crash team has had a busy year. As reported by WKYC, the same investigators were called out in July to a fatal two-vehicle crash at U.S. 62 and Harmont Avenue NE, and in March to a crash that killed a 13-year-old on Market Avenue North.
A Major County Transit System With a Green Fleet
SARTA, headquartered at 1600 Gateway Blvd. SE in Canton, operates 47 fixed-route buses and 50 paratransit vehicles across Stark County, funded largely by a 0.25% county sales tax that voters renewed in November 2016 through June 2027, according to the Ohio Auditor of State. The agency also runs one of the largest fleets of hydrogen fuel cell-powered transit buses in the country and has led national zero-emission transit promotion efforts, including a multi-state educational tour, per the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority.
Older Drivers and Ohio's Failure-to-Yield Law
The crash highlights a pattern flagged by state safety officials. The Ohio Traffic Safety Office, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, notes that older drivers generally engage in fewer risky driving behaviors but face a heightened risk of severe injury or death in crashes, a concern behind state initiatives like Stay Fit To Drive.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.43, any driver approaching a stop sign must come to a complete stop and yield the right-of-way to approaching traffic that presents an immediate hazard. Separately, Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.06 allows a fatal crash caused by a minor misdemeanor violation, such as failing to yield at a stop sign, to be prosecuted as vehicular manslaughter, according to Zukerman Law. It remains unclear whether any charges will be filed in connection with Friday's crash as the Canton Metro Crash Team's investigation continues.
