June 2, 2005
In a recent case involving a passenger who fell and fractured his hip while stepping off a moving bus, we retained the services of Ned Einstein, President of Transportation Alternatives, so that we could explain to the jury why our client’s injuries were the result of the negligence of the defendant bus company and driver.
When we hired Ned, we expected to confront issues like inadequate driver safety training and monitoring. Ned’s expertise, however, uncovered evidence of systemic negligence on which we were not focusing. For example, in our case, fares were being collected as passengers exited the bus. Because of this, under the de facto policies adopted by drivers, passengers were being encouraged to pay their fares in front of the white line on the floor of the bus, despite a sign that advised them to remain seated. Further, on stops where more than one person departed, the first passengers routinely descended the stairs of the bus while it was in motion, so that other passengers could pay their fare. Finally, these polices were being adopted by the bus drivers because they were being compensated in a way that encouraged them to transport as many passengers as quickly as possible, directly contrary to industry safety standards.
There are not many people in the field of bus safety, as qualified as Ned, who are willing to review cases for both plaintiffs and defendants.
Make sure if you are planning on retaining Ned, you do so early in the litigation. His guidance during the discovery process is extremely valuable. You can view Ned’s website by clicking here. You may email Ned by clicking here.