The man who became unconscious, fell on a stretch of track and was struck by a Gold Line train in Boyle Heights has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Patrick Chammas –who fell off the platform while waiting for the train at Soto Station– alleges that his life-altering injuries were preventable.
Chammas spent nearly 11 minutes unconscious on a stretch of track in Boyle Heights before he was struck by a Gold Line train in May. The 30-year-old received a severe brain injury and had to have both of his legs amputated as a result of the incident.
“A human being should not be able to be on the tracks unnoticed for almost 11 minutes in a modern subway station,” Chammas’ attorney, Matthew McNicholas, told The Times. “It’s an entirely preventable accident, and it never should have happened.”
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges that train operator John Delao should’ve seen him and stopped the train, claiming negligence on the operator’s end. The lawsuit also states that the lack of a barrier separating the platform from the tracks at the Gold Line Soto station constitutes a dangerous condition that should’ve been fixed years ago.
Metro has not responded to the pending litigation.
