Loudoun County, VA — December 1, 2025, Alyssa Kakol lost her life in a pedestrian versus transit bus accident just before 6:30 p.m. along Croson Lane.
According to authorities, 34-year-old Alyssa Kakol was on foot in the vicinity northeast of the Croson Lane and Moorefield Boulevard intersection when the accident took place.
Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, Kakol was struck by a transit bus. She reportedly sustained critical injuries due to the collision; EMS transported her to a local medical facility so that she could receive immediate treatment. However, she was ultimately unable to overcome the severity of her injuries, having there been declared deceased.
Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When someone is hit and killed by a transit bus in a developed area, especially near an intersection, the public deserves to know more than just that it happened—we need to understand how. Was the pedestrian crossing the street with the right of way? Was the bus turning? Did either party have a clear view? These are basic questions, yet in many cases, they go unanswered for far too long.
One of the first issues that needs to be clarified in a crash like this is visibility. Was it dark at the time? Were the streetlights working? Could the bus driver reasonably have seen a pedestrian in or near the road? Depending on those answers, different questions arise about what the driver should have done and whether they had time to react.
It’s also important to know what the bus was doing at the time of the crash. Transit buses make frequent stops and turns—often in areas where pedestrians are nearby. If the driver was turning onto a new street, or pulling into or out of a stop, then line of sight, speed, and turn timing become central to understanding what happened. If the bus was going straight, then investigators will want to know whether the pedestrian entered the street suddenly or was already visible in a marked crosswalk.
Then there’s the issue of training and supervision. Transit agencies have strict standards for how drivers are trained to handle pedestrian zones, especially near intersections. But in practice, those standards are only as effective as the agency’s commitment to enforcing them. I’ve handled cases where agencies cut corners or failed to act on repeated complaints about specific drivers—only to face tragic consequences later.
We also can’t ignore the potential role of onboard technology. Many transit buses today are equipped with outward-facing cameras that record the moments before a crash. If those systems were working, they should offer an objective account of the driver’s view, their reaction, and the pedestrian’s location. That’s the kind of evidence that doesn’t just tell us what happened—it shows it.
Until more details are confirmed through a full investigation—including video footage, witness accounts, and physical evidence—it’s not possible to draw firm conclusions about how the crash happened or whether it could have been avoided. But those are the kinds of answers that objective evidence is meant to provide, and they’re essential for determining whether proper procedures were followed and who, if anyone, bears legal responsibility.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s still unclear whether the pedestrian was in a crosswalk or had the right of way at the time of the crash.
- The bus driver’s visibility, speed, and route actions are key factors that require closer examination.
- Onboard video footage, if available, could provide crucial evidence of what occurred in the moments before impact.
- Transit agencies are expected to enforce strict standards for driver training and oversight near pedestrian zones.
- A full investigation is needed to establish whether this incident involved preventable driver or agency failures.
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