A woman crossing the traffic circle outside the Bucks County Library in Doylestown was struck and killed by a Bucks County Transport bus Monday afternoon, according to police. The victim was identified as Katherine “Kitty” Semisch, a retired Central Bucks West High School English teacher.
Central Bucks Regional Police officers responded to the library property at 150 S. Pine St. at approximately 3 p.m. on Nov. 2, according to a statement from the Central Bucks Regional Police Department posted on Crimewatch. Police said Semisch was crossing the circle in front of the library when she was struck by a bus traveling around the circle. She was taken to Doylestown Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, according to Central Bucks News.
Police described the pedestrian as 69 years old in their Crimewatch post, while Patch reported she was 68. The lehighvalleylive.com reported her age as 67. Discrepancies aside, multiple reports agree on her identity and her decades in the classroom.
A Longtime Fixture in Central Bucks Classrooms
Semisch taught in the Central Bucks School District for 25 years before retiring in 2022, according to a report from PhillyBurbs. Police did not indicate whether the bus driver stopped after striking her, the outlet's reporting noted. The Central Bucks Regional Police Department said its investigation into the crash remains active and ongoing, with assistance from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office Crash Team.
Second Bucks County Transport Fatality This Year
Central Bucks News reported this was the second crash involving a Bucks County Transport bus this year. Patch similarly characterized it as the second reported fatality this year tied to a bus operated by the agency.
In August, an 83-year-old man, Ronald Davenport, died after being struck by a Bucks County Transport bus; Patch reported he died from multiple blunt force injuries. Central Bucks News reported that a lawsuit filed on behalf of Davenport's family alleged a Bucks County Transport bus ran over him twice as he walked to the parking lot across from Grundy Hall in Doylestown. PhillyBurbs reported that the family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Bucks County Common Pleas Court, alleging his death was preventable and caused by negligence.
No further details on the status of Monday's investigation have been released. Police have not said whether the bus driver involved in Semisch's death has been identified or interviewed.
