This browser does not support the Video element.
Mother of deadly bus crash victim speaks out
Amanda Schneider was on the sidewalk when police say Adam Abelson ran a red light, running into a King County Metro bus, which in turn hit her.
Seattle - The mother of a young woman killed in a chain-reaction bus crash in Seattle is sharing more about her daughter's life.
Amanda Schneider was on the sidewalk when police say Adam Abelson ran a red light, running into a King County Metro bus, which in turn hit her.
"Everyone just gravitated towards her. She helped people, that’s what she wanted to do with her life was help people," said Eileen Taylor, Amanda's mother.
Taylor says her daughter was a hard worker and former competitive figure skater who wanted to become a psychologist. She says it only took a split second for everything to change, and the family is still processing the tragedy.
"I'm still in disbelief," said Taylor.
As a young skater, Taylor says when Amanda took the ice, that's when the magic began.
"She didn’t have just one style. There was the sweet, feminine, dreamy song kind of skater, and then there was a really spunky in a unitard kind of skater, too. She was a study in contrasts," said Taylor.
Amanda may have looked like a princess, but on the inside, her mom says she was so much tougher than that.
"Too much steel inside to be a princess," said Taylor.
With her fiery strawberry red hair and sweet and sassy personality, Taylor said skating was just one outlet for Amanda's resolve and determination.
"At 5:00 every morning we were at the rink already, she would train for two hours and then go into a full day at school," said Taylor.
At 28, she was studying at Junior College, working as a personal trainer and planning a transfer to the University of Washington.
"Smart as a whip, but more than that, it was her heart, she’s such a loving child," said Taylor.
In this photo above, the two walked along Alki Beach, Amanda telling her mom about her plans to study psychology. She said she wanted to help people with eating disorders, something she overcame herself in the past.
"This is not just my loss, it’s the world’s loss," said Taylor. "She was someone who wanted to do good with their life."
Amanda's future was stolen on Nov. 4 when investigators say Adam Abelson ran a red light, crashing into a bus, which in turn crashed into Amanda who was standing on the sidewalk nearby.
"He murdered my child, my only daughter, he stole my son’s sister from them. She was an aunt three times over and stole it from my nieces and nephews. Yeah, he robbed someone," said Taylor.
As the case moves forward, Taylor focuses on happier times.
"This is one of her first sort of official portraits," she said, showing off a baby photo. "I was so proud to have a daughter."
Taylor recently had to pack up Amanda's apartment and discovered that she'd saved the dress that was shown in an old photo. It was her first formal dress for a father-daughter dance.
"I’m going to miss her tremendously for this stage of life," said Taylor. "She was my best friend, my biggest support, and I hope that’s how she felt too, because I would do anything for that child."
Abelson is currently facing charges including vehicular homicide. The prosecutor's office told the court he'd had around 50 warrants issued for his arrest in the past. Taylor says she plans on attending every hearing and will make a victim impact statement whenever possible.
For those who wish to donate in Amanda’s name, her mom suggests sending money to Jake’s Wish Dog Rescue. That is where Amanda once volunteered and adopted her beloved pet Ginger.