Pedestrian critically injured in downtown St. Petersburg after getting hit by bus

A pedestrian was critically injured Wednesday morning after she was hit by a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus in downtown St. Petersburg, city police reported.

The crash occurred on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N between Central Avenue and First Avenue N at 10:23 a.m. The PSTA bus was being driven west on First Avenue North when the driver turned left to go south on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, police said.

The pedestrian, who police later identified as Denise Rozwarski, 58, had been standing on the side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North when she stepped out from the curb and was hit by the bus, police said.

St. Pete Fire Rescue extricated Rozwarski from beneath the bus. She was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg with life-threatening injuries, police said.

No one else was on the bus at the time of the crash. The driver, who was not injured, remained on the scene and was cooperative with officers, police said.

Police closed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North in that area for several hours while an investigation was conducted.

The crash was the second of the morning to critically injure a pedestrian in the city.

At about 7:15 a.m., a man was hit by a car in the 1800 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South.

The man, later identified as Joshua Workman, 41, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries following the crash. He later died, police said in a Feb. 15 news release.

Police said Workman had been walking on the west sidewalk but stepped onto the road, where he was struck by a Chevrolet Malibu. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with officers, police said.

St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson Ashley Limardo said the driver is not currently facing any criminal charges.

An investigation is ongoing and no other details were immediately released.