Harris County, TX — July 15, 2024, Halie Usher was killed due to a pedestrian versus bus accident just after 7:45 a.m. along Wellsworth Drive.
According to authorities, 39-year-old Halie Usher was in a west-facing wheelchair in a driveway on Wellsworth Drive in the vicinity south of the Redhill Drive intersection when the accident took place.
A bus, which Usher was apparently planning on boarding, was at a stop on Wellsworth Drive at the bottom of the driveway. The wheelchair then rolled in front of the bus before the bus allegedly made an improper start. A collision consequently occurred between the pedestrian and the front-right of the bus. The bus apparently continued, veering to the right and leaving the roadway and also crashing into a mailbox.
Usher reportedly sustained critical injuries due to the accident; she was transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive immediate treatment. However, she was ultimately unable to overcome the severity of her injuries, having later been declared deceased. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a wheelchair user is struck and killed by the very bus they were attempting to board, the focus of any investigation must be on how such a preventable breakdown in safety occurred—and whether the driver followed proper boarding protocols. Buses don’t just transport passengers; they also carry a heightened duty to protect the people trying to use them—especially when those people are visibly vulnerable.
According to the information released so far, the woman’s wheelchair rolled in front of the bus shortly before it pulled away. That raises a critical question: Why did the bus begin moving while a potential passenger was still positioned in front of it? If the driver failed to confirm that it was safe to depart—visually, or through mirrors and cameras—then a serious error in basic procedure may have occurred.
Transit operators are trained to follow a strict departure checklist: ensure all doors are closed, check mirrors and blind spots, confirm that no pedestrians are within the path of travel, and only then proceed. When passengers in wheelchairs are involved, additional care is not just best practice—it’s required. If the driver failed to verify that the area was clear before accelerating, that decision may form the basis of legal liability.
There’s also the matter of how and why the wheelchair rolled. Was the driveway sloped? Was the individual attempting to maneuver down to the bus? Even if movement was unintended or unexpected, the final safeguard is the driver—who is ultimately responsible for maintaining control of the vehicle before and during departure. That’s why onboard cameras, GPS data, and witness statements will be essential in determining whether the driver acted in accordance with training—or disregarded protocol.
Key Takeaways:
- The core legal issue is whether the bus driver failed to confirm that it was safe to depart before moving forward.
- Buses have a heightened duty of care when passengers are boarding, especially those with mobility devices.
- The fact that the bus continued past the initial impact and left the roadway may suggest further issues with driver awareness or control.
- Onboard camera footage and driver conduct logs will be central to determining whether procedures were followed.
- Even if the wheelchair’s movement was unintended, responsibility still hinges on whether the bus could have remained stopped.
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