San Francisco, California – The tragedy involving two railway workers in the Bay Area has sparked a wrongful death lawsuit in San Francisco against the transit agency.
The lawsuit, filed in the Alameda County Superior Court by the daughters of Laurence Daniels, alleges that the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train was being operated by an “inexperienced and improperly trained trainee operator.“
Despite attempts to obtain comments from the transit agency, BART, no responses have been received so far.
The fatal incident occurred on October 19 when 66-year-old BART engineer Laurence Daniels and 58-year-old railway consultant Christopher Sheppard died while conducting a training and maintenance run.
It’s noteworthy that the deaths occurred amid a worker strike and train service disruption, heightening the seriousness of the situation.
A month after the incident, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined BART $210,000, arguing that the train was operated by an inexperienced driver without proper supervision.
Regulatory authorities pointed out that a high-ranking manager, responsible for instructing the trainee operator, was not present in the cabin at the time of the accident, constituting a serious violation of safety standards.
BART has implemented significant changes in its safety practices, including reviewing its rules to ensure the protection of railway workers. It’s mandated that trains slow down or stop when approaching areas where work is being conducted, and new communication protocols have been put in place to prevent future incidents.
