2 more lawsuits filed against city after 2013 bus-train crash
Two more lawsuits have been filed this week in relation to a fatal bus-train crash in September 2013 that killed six people, bringing the number of lawsuits filed to at least seven.
In a statement of claim filed Nov. 25, George McBean is claiming $350,000 in damages for pain and suffering, loss of amenities of life and future income loss, as well as damages "to be determined prior to trial," including income loss, out-of-pocket expenses, health care costs and interest.
The statement of claim alleges McBean was a passenger on OC Transpo bus route 76 the morning it crashed into the train, and that McBean was standing on the lower level toward the middle of the bus.
The statement alleges the bus struck the train at 8:48 a.m., despite passengers yelling at the driver to stop the bus. McBean "was thrown forward, landing approximately five feet from the sheared-off front of the bus," the statement reads.
He helped another passenger call her husband, watched a victim struggle for life and directed a first responder to that victim before McBean was himself taken to hospital, according to the statement.
McBean suffered torn ligaments in his knee requiring two surgeries and ongoing treatment, he suffers from neck and back pain requiring physiotherapy, and he's experienced "psychological damage including nervous shock, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder," as well as difficulty sleeping, according to the statement of claim.
The City of Ottawa, the Attorney General of Canada, Via Rail and the estate of bus driver David Woodard are listed as defendants.
In a separate statement of claim filed Nov. 24, Jeyanathan Thangarajah claims $2 million in general and special damages. His wife claims $250,000 for loss of care, guidance and companionship, and his two children each claim $100,000 for loss of care, guidance and companionship, bringing the total to $2,450,000.
Thangarajah was sitting on the upper level of the double-decker bus when it crashed, the statement alleges. He suffered "serious and permanent injuries including injuries and pain to his neck, back, arms, chest, upper and lower extremities as well as abrasions and contusions to his body with soft tissue injuries."
He also suffered "a severe aggravation of his pre-accident Crohn's disease requiring hospitalization and aggressive treatment," according to the statement of claim, as well as "ongoing emotional and psychological symptoms" including headaches, depression, anxiety and anger.
Thangarajah's statement lists the City of Ottawa and Woodard's estate as defendants.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
