Mass transit accident anniversary touches hearts of many
A number of families banded together as they remembered a pedestrian accident that occurred in April 2010. The second-anniversary remembrance being held on Tuesday night has caught national attention because of the horrific circumstances of the crash that occurred in Portland, but could happen to San Francisco residents at any time.
On that fatal April 24 evening, the driver of a mass transit bus attempted to turn left. The turn that she made was illegal and out of control. The driver turned the 16-ton bus straight into a stream of pedestrians walking through a crosswalk, unaware that their lives would change forever.
When the bus turned the corner, it struck five of the pedestrians in the crosswalk. The accident took the lives of a 22-year-old pedestrian, a 26-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son. The accident also left another two pedestrians in critical condition. While some may consider them lucky to be alive, their lives were forever changed.
The surviving victims and the families of those who were killed banded together this past week and filed a lawsuit against the driver of the public transit bus and the owner of the bus.
There are a lot of people -- like the pedestrians using the designated crosswalk -- who follow the laws that are set in place to keep people safe. However, these laws do not work as they should unless everyone shares the same respect for them. Drivers who negligently choose to disobey them -- whether they are distracted or because they simply do not care -- need to be held liable for their actions.
Source: The Oregonian, "Families will hold second-anniversary remembrance for women killed by driver Sandi Day in Portland's Old Town," Joseph Rose, April 24, 2012
