Video shows Metro bus crash that killed worker Johnathan Young
Newly released surveillance video shows a Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority bus slamming into a city work crew on the Norwood Lateral on July 16, killing 46-year-old maintenance worker Johnathan Allen Young. The footage, released by transit officials and reported by fox19.com, captures the moment the vehicle failed to slow down in an active work zone.
Bus Cameras Show Driver Hit Crew at 46 Mph
The crash occurred on westbound State Route 562, known as the Norwood Lateral, as Young and other crew members worked to pick up advance warning signs. WLWT reported that multiple angles from the bus cameras captured the collision, showing a warning sign ahead but no apparent reduction in speed or lane change by the driver before impact. According to crash investigation notes obtained by fox19.com, bus driver Kyle Brandon Taylor was traveling west in the right lane at a constant speed, hitting the work vehicles at 46 mph just two seconds after failing to recognize the crew ahead.
The impact pushed the truck Young was standing on into the trailer of another pickup truck in front of it, Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey stated at the time. While investigators noted Taylor was not speeding, distracted by drugs or alcohol, or impaired, court records and personnel files have drawn intense scrutiny to his driving history and employment background.
Personnel Records Show Taylor Had Previous Crashes and Terminations
Personnel records detailed by WLWT reveal that Taylor accumulated 12 traffic convictions and five previous crashes between 2010 and 2026, and had been fired from Metro twice before the fatal collision. His 214-page personnel file shows he was terminated in November 2019 for being absent without documentation, though he was rehired in August 2021 after retraining and passing physical and drug screenings. He was fired a second time on July 27, 2022, following a June 12, 2022, crash while operating a Metro vehicle while on a cellphone.
Metro stated that Taylor’s second reinstatement followed an arbitration ruling in his favor. Subsequent records show additional disciplinary actions, including written safety warnings in 2024 and a final written warning with a 30-day suspension in February 2026 after video captured him verbally and physically assaulting a coworker.
Taylor Faces Vehicular Manslaughter Charge After Metro Firing
Following the July 16 crash, Metro placed Taylor on unpaid administrative leave. His employment formally ended on August 29 after a court order suspended his driving privileges as a result of the fatal collision, according to personnel memos. Taylor faces one count of vehicular manslaughter. He bonded out of jail the day after his arrest, with his next pretrial hearing scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, WLWT reported.
The law firm Cooper Elliott, representing the mother of Young’s children, previously pledged to look into Taylor’s driving and hiring records.
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