PAT Bus Driver Given Probation In Death Of Pitt Student

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Port Authority bus driver has been placed on probation for three years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a University of Pittsburgh student struck by the bus she was driving a year ago. Thirty-four-year-old Shavonne James also pleaded guilty Monday in Allegheny County Court to recklessly endangering another person in the death of 20-year-old Barbara Como of Chester Springs. Other charges of reckless driving, failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and operating an improperly equipped vehicle were withdrawn. Authorities said James was driving in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood in January 2020 when she turned and hit Como, a senior studying anthropology and psychology.