Blind Actress Will Relive Ordeal on Bus in TV Role

A blind woman who said she was bloodied and bruised in a fracas on a crowded RTD bus two months ago will relive the frightening experience Wednesday, and this time be paid for it.

Millicent Collinsworth, an actress who lost her sight in an accident eight years ago, will play herself in a fall premiere episode of the CBS police series “Houston Knights.”

Collinsworth received public attention in June after reporting that she was hit in the face on an RTD bus during rush hour, and that no one offered to help her while she walked 15 blocks to her Hollywood home with blood and tears dripping down her face. Collinsworth said she was hit accidentally by a man who suddenly “went berserk,” flailing his arms and demanding to be let off the bus.

On Wednesday in Burbank, she will enact her part in the episode, “Moving Violation,” in which she gets off a bus and is knocked down by a man who is running down the street after committing a murder.

Later, when two policemen (played by actors Michael Pare and Michael Beck) investigate the incident, they discover that a number of witnesses saw the woman knocked down, but no one helped her as she walked away dazed and injured. They search for her, believing she can identify the murderer.

“I’m nervous but really excited,” said Collinsworth, who said that while she has played in a number of theater productions, this is the first time she has acted in a television show. “I had reservations about having to replay the scene again. But at the same time, it somehow eases the pain and terror, especially if viewers get the message not to be apathetic to people in distress.”

Welton Smith, publicist for Columbia/Embassy Television, said that a story outline involving a blind witness was created before the May incident, but that executive producer Jay Bernstein read about Collinsworth’s experience and suggested rewriting the script to include a group of apathetic witnesses. Bernstein also suggested using Collinsworth in the show, which will be telecast in September, Smith said.

Collinsworth said she is especially happy about her part because the studio is not using “someone pretending to be handicapped. Such sensitivity helps break down barriers for all of us and gives us a sense of respect.” The actress said she doesn’t know how much money she will receive for the job.

She said it was easy for her Labrador retriever guide dog Eyore to learn his part. “All he has to do is lie at my feet. He’s good at that.”