Two teenagers were attacked and beaten by a group of youths while riding a Metro bus in 2005, and last week a jury ruled that King County Metro was negligent when the bus driver took no action to stop the attack.
In a civil case brought against the transit company, the Superior Court jury voted to award both plaintiffs $125,000 each in damages. Attorneys for King County had argued throughout the trial that the driver didn’t see the assaults as they were happening.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs claimed that the driver was partly to blame. They said he should have called his dispatcher for back up when he saw a “rowdy” group of teenagers boarding the bus late at night, and that he also should have radiod for police help once the assault began. One plaintiff attorney said, “He’s got an emergency alarm, he’s got mirrors, he’s got a PA system. He’s got tools….three of the young passengers were left to fend for themselves.”
Another attorney for the plaintiffs stated, “The driver’s job…is to be the eyes and ears of Metro. Why didn’t (his) instincts say, ‘Uh-oh’?”
After the assault, the teenagers were treated for bruises and cuts at Harborview Medical Center and released. But, according to www.Seattletimes.com, both have suffered an emotional toll, including increased stress, hyper vigilance, fear of strangers in certain public situations and flashbacks.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an assault, please contact the personal injury attorneys at Bernard Law Group, 1-800-418-8282.