EXCLUSIVE: Bus driver says he was wrongly arrested after bus fatally strikes pedestrian in East Flatbush

EAST FLATBUSH (WABC) -- It was a big victory on Tuesday for MTA bus drivers who sued the city over 'vision zero'. They complain they were being automatically arrested for pedestrian accidents even if they were not at fault. Eyewitness News spoke exclusively to one driver who says his career has been ruined.

58-year-old Reginald Prescott drove a New York City transit bus for 8 years. He went 8 years without a blemish until last December. He came in on his day off, and while making a turn to the next bus stop, he fatally struck a pedestrian in East Flatbush.

"I was never arrested in my life. To make it worse, I was arrested in front of my family," says Prescott.

He was handcuffed and humiliated at the hospital. However, going forward, an automatic arrest will not be the case anymore.

The city and transportation on Monday agreed on a settlement giving drivers the benefit of innocence until culpability is established at an accident scene.

"It was absolute common sense to us that bus operators who showed no negligence should not be arrested," Transport Workers Union President John Samuelson.

Mayor de Blasio issued a reaction saying, "protecting New Yorkers is our top priority".

Ever since Mayor de Blasio's vision zero went into effect last summer, the union reports half a dozen bus drivers have been automatically arrested at accident scenes.

In Prescott's case, it was a dark and rainy night. Eyewitness News is told he driving only 3 miles an hour through the intersection. He used to love operating a city bus, but not anymore. The accident and arrest continue to haunt him.

"I wouldn't want to see anyone to go through what I went through," Prescott says.

"He didn't do anything wrong," added Samuelson.

The union says the settlement is actually a victory for all drivers because the same rule now applies to even civilian drivers involved in an accident. There will be no more automatic arrests. As for Prescott, the MTA told Eyewitness News he has been demoted to cleaner, because they believe the accident was preventable.