Retired SEPTA bus driver speaks out after man fatally struck in South Philly: 'That mirror is too large'

The fallout continues after a husband and wife were hit by a SEPTA bus. The husband, Michael Spooner, 35, was killed in the incident and his wife Kayla Spooner, survived. 

Now, a retired SEPTA bus driver is sharing his experiences and highlighting blind spots for buses.

The backstory:

On Friday, January 3, Michael and Kayla Spooner were on their way to the movies for a date night when Michael was tragically hit and killed by a SEPTA bus

Lt. Brown, with the Philadelphia Police Department Crash Investigation Division, said the couple were crossing northbound on Washington Avenue, when the SEPTA bus was making a turn off of Front St. westbound. He said they were almost at the sidewalk when they were hit.

A Philadelphia Police officer attempted life-saving measures on Spooner, but the effort was not enough to save him.

The husband and wife were both struck by the bus and the husband, identified as 35-year-old Michael Spooner, died at the scene. His wife, Kayla Spooner was taken to Temple University Hospital where she was listed as stable.

The bus driver remained at the scene. 

Philadelphia police are leading an investigation and SEPTA has started its own investigation into the tragic incident.

The driver allegedly said he didn't see them, and the family is seeking answers as to why. 

What they're saying:

The retired SEPTA driver insisted this is a tragedy that can be avoided. 

"Too many lives have been taken because of that mirror," said Joe Wilson, who drove a SEPTA bus for 40 years before retiring.

He was angry, upset, but not surprised to learn Michael Spooner was the latest pedestrian hit and killed by a SEPTA bus making a left turn earlier this month, something that has happened before and has been subject to prior lawsuits.

"It's sad! It's so sad! That people have to die to bring attention to a tragedy, something that can be avoided," Wilson said. "That mirror is too large, it's too large. Every driver has had a close call because of those mirrors."

The mirror, he says, is out too far, so it leaves a blind spot, the driver told FOX 29. 

"He never saw them. If you pull up to the corner and somebody is on the corner and they're walking and you're gonna turn, they're not in your view at all. You're blindsided," Wilson explained.

In 2014, 29-year-old Sheena White was crossing the street at 15th and Washington in South Philadelphia with her 8-year-old son when she was hit and killed by a SEPTA bus. At the time, her family said they believed she was in the driver’s blind spot.

"They had one instructor tell me, 'Well, Joe, you just lift up out of the seat and look.' You shouldn't have to move. If you're sitting there driving that bus, you shouldn't have to lift up out of the seat to do anything. First of all, you got your seatbelt on, so you can't be lifting up or doing anything," Wilson said.

"All these people who have lost their lives and been injured, that should not have happened," Wilson concluded.

What's next:

A community meeting was held on pedestrian traffic safety Tuesday night just a few blocks from where Michael Spooner was killed. 

FOX 29 emailed questions about the bus mirror blind spot to SEPTA, and a spokesperson told us they're working to get us answers.

Crime & Public SafetyPhiladelphia