Imagine you’re trying to get on the train before the doors close. And you don’t make it. In fact, your hand gets stuck. It may sound like something straight out of a drama, but it is, unfortunately, a true story. A woman rushing to make a train in San Francisco had her hand caught in the door. As she talks with an employee on the platform who is standing near her, the train begins to move. She has pulled off the platform and under the train. Although the media reports that she was injured, there has been no word about just how badly she was hurt. San Francisco officials plan to perform a full investigation to determine exactly what happened. You can watch the video of the event by following this link. We will warn you, though, that the video is quite shocking.
Witnesses of the event report that they heard shouting, and not just from the victim. They reported that people were shouting for the train to be stopped because of the woman being caught in the door. There are also reports of people banging on the train to get the attention of officials controlling it.
Matt Haney is a supervisor from San Francisco District 6 stated that this isn’t the first time there have been problems with train doors. He stated that he’s even had complaints from employees about them. Mr. Haney thinks that the sensors on the doors should be replaced or that there needs to be some other way for the door to detect someone who was there. He also stated that it was his belief that the SFMTA was aware of the issue and was concerned about it.
The victim hasn’t been identified. Because she was hurt by a train operated by the City of San Francisco, the big question is can she sue the city for her injury? Suing a city or a city agency can be done, but there are often several hoops that the victim must jump through. Because of this, it is often easier for a victim of a personal injury involving a city-owned or managed property or transportation to work with an experienced personal injury attorney who understands how to successfully negotiate or litigate a claim against the entity.
For example, in the City of San Francisco (and for the County of San Francisco), the victim must first fill out a claim form. The form must be completed in full and filed within six months after the accident that caused the claim. The City of San Francisco has 45 days to review and investigate the claim. The victim is required to provide documentation of injuries and expenses associated with them. The City may eventually offer a settlement or deny the claim. If the claim is denied, the victim has only six months from the date of the denial letter to file their lawsuit.
If you believe that you have a personal injury claim to file against a county or city in Texas, call the Law Office of Julie Johnson to schedule your free, confidential consultation: 214-290-8001. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With more than 25 years of experience representing personal injury victims in Texas, we’re here to help you determine if you have a claim and to make sure that you’re treated fairly.
