A Columbia city bus hit and killed a pedestrian Monday morning on the edge of the University of Missouri campus. David Birkenbach, a 66-year-old Columbia resident was crossing the road just after 8 a.m. when he was hit.
The driver of the bus was 22-year-old Hamis Mukiwa, a temporary part-time transit employee with the City of Columbia.
Columbia Police Department spokesperson Bryana Larimer said the driver was making a left turn across a crosswalk.
“He had a flashing yellow left turn yield signal. At the time he was attempting to turn left, the bus struck Mr. Birkenbach who was legally within the crosswalk on the west side of the intersection which was closer to Monk Drive on the westbound lane of Stadium Boulevard.”
Larimer says Birkenbach was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. She says the driver has now been placed on unpaid leave. Investigators were at the scene Tuesday reconstructing the crash, and the investigation is ongoing.