A 64-year-old man in a wheelchair fell onto the BART tracks and was hit by a train at the Hayward BART station in the California Bay Area. The victim, Curtis Fuller, survived, but was treated at the trauma center at Eden Medical Center and admitted to the critical care unit.
Witnesses say Fuller appeared to be adjusting the position of his wheelchair when he lost control and one of his wheels went over the edge of the platform. Fuller then tumbled onto the tracks where he was hit by the train entering the station. A station agent crawled down onto the tracks to check on Fuller after he was struck, and found him to be breathing but unconscious.
As one would expect, there were delays for trains servicing the Hayward station for at least two hours following the accident.
An investigation into the accident is underway. Thus far there is no indication of foul play even though a gun was found on the tracks nearby. Officials do not believe the gun is related to the accident. However, commentators wonder how many people must be injured before safety measures are put in place to prevent people from rolling onto the tracks. Every year there are news reports of people falling onto subway tracks or accidentally rolling over the edge of platforms in wheelchairs or baby strollers.
Callahan & Blaine, California’s premier litigation firm, is one of the leading firms in the state of California, and handles serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide. In fact, in the last 5 years alone we’ve obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements.
For example, Callahan & Blaine recently won a $7.25 million settlement in a similar case when a man was run over trying to board a city bus in Orange County, California. In that case, the driver did not see the man and seriously injured his left leg by driving over it as she pulled away from the curb.
If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of an accident, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.
