This lawsuit against Metro for a bus shooting raises hard questions about passenger safety on public transit. A D.C. man has filed an $8 million claim against Metro, saying he suffered emotional and physical harm after someone opened fire on a Metrobus in August.
What the Lawsuit Claims
According to the lawsuit filed in D.C. Superior Court, Earl Coates rode the W8 bus on the evening of Aug. 21. The driver stopped to pick up a passenger on Elvans Road in southeast D.C., but no one boarded. The bus then suddenly lost power. Someone fired a gun into the bus and struck Coates twice, the suit states, and the alleged shooter then fled.
The suit further claims that someone intentionally disabled the bus with an outside shut-off switch, a control designed for first responders during an emergency. It alleges “negligent actions and inactions” because Metro officials knew the switches could shut off a bus, and because the driver neither tried to restart the bus nor aided the passengers on board. These remain allegations that a court has not yet decided.
How Metro Responded
Metro officials declined to comment on the suit and the shut-off switch. “Due to pending litigation, we are unable to provide the information you’ve requested,” spokesman Richard Jordan said in an e-mail. The day before, however, officials answered general questions about how the switch works. The switch is a standard feature on buses across the United States and Canada.
According to Metro, the switch kills the engine and battery power during an electrical fire or a similar emergency that requires shutting a bus down. Firefighters can reach the panel that houses the switch, yet that easy access has also created problems. Officials called the panels a safety concern. They could not say how many of the roughly 1,500 buses in the fleet carry the switch, and on Monday they said they were considering locks to prevent unauthorized access. Other transit agencies in New York and Chicago faced similar problems and added locks of their own. Once a bus stalls, an operator must step outside and turn the switch back on to restart the engine.
Aftermath of the Incident
After the Aug. 21 incident, Metro temporarily detoured the W8 around the area where the shooting happened. That move drew complaints from D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and others, so Metro relented a day later. A police cruiser then briefly stationed along the route to reassure riders. In September, police arrested Bijon Brown, 20, in connection with the shooting. For more on transit policing, you can review the Metro Transit Police Department. You can also read the original article at The Washington Post.
If you were injured on public transit, our Washington, DC transit accident lawyers and personal injury lawyers are available for a free consultation.
