CINCINNATI — A $10 million settlement between the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority and the estate of an 87-year-old woman hit and killed by a Cincinnati Metro bus driver last year includes new training requirements for all Metro drivers.
Beverly Kinney's family sued SORTA and the Metro driver who killed her after Cincinnati police said the driver turned onto Duck Creek Road from Dana Avenue, hitting Kinney as she walked in a marked crosswalk in January 2024.
WATCH: Why the family says the settlement brings some measure of healing
The crash report said the driver, Deon Willis, "was found to be operating with a suspended driver's license status." According to his personnel files, Willis had also been involved in three other crashes since Metro hired him in February 2018.
As part of the settlement, SORTA will hire an independent auditor to confirm whether SORTA's training program is being properly administered and revise its policies and protocols so that a supervisor must sign off on any trainee progress reports that include poor or instructed marks before scheduling a trial run.
Beginning in 2026, SORTA agreed it will also ensure all Metro drivers receive annual in-person training on its mandatory turn procedure that includes footage of Kinney's crash. The video will show how the bus turned into the crosswalk and include testimonials from her family about the impact of the crash.
"We wanted to make sure that drivers are well aware of the specific situations that can arise, and how to be vigilant for them so that this doesn't happen again," said the family's attorney, Kaela King.
Additionally, SORTA will request federal funding to equip all buses with cameras pointed directly at the driver and publish safety record data on its website for a minimum of five years. There will also be a QR code and telephone number on all buses for any complaints or feedback.
"To Metro's credit, they have agreed to some unprecedented reforms," King said. "Because of Beverly and the bravery of this family, the presumption of safety is now more of a reality."
In a statement, Metro spokesperson Brandy Jones said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to the Kinney family for the tragic loss of Ms. Kinney. We have reached a resolution that we believe honors her memory and reflects our continued commitment to ensuring the safest possible environment for our employees, passengers and the public."
Willis pleaded guilty in August 2024 and was sentenced to five years of probation and a five-year suspension of his driver's license. He was also required to complete 1,000 hours of community service, something Judge Samantha Silverstein said she decided in honor of Kinney, who volunteered at several local organizations.
In the settlement, Kinney's philanthropic work was once again spotlighted. SORTA said it will provide side-of-bus advertising for the next three years to organizations selected by her estate. The settlement says those advertisements must be on 10 buses for 30 consecutive days, with the organizations approved by SORTA.
Kinney's family said much of the $10 million they receive will go towards a fund supporting local nonprofits dedicated to social justice, the arts, the environment and education.
"We're very much excited as a family about the fact that this money can go on for generations," said John Kinney. "We're always asking ourselves, 'What would she want? What would she do?' So that's very healing."
The fund will be managed by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
"If we could make Cincinnati a better place as a result of this tragedy, that would give us some comfort," Jeff Kinney said.
