(I finally am free to write to the media and government representatives about the experience that I write about in the next paragraphs. My lawsuit with State Farm ended in March 2020.
I got my freedom to write just in time for the advent of Covid 19. I don't think the media or government representatives will care about my experience with the bus company unitl long after the virus is finally conquered. But, at least now I have the freedom to write in my blog.)
In 1994 I vacationed in Seattle and Portland. I fell in love with Portland and dreamed of moving there one day.
When my youngest son was looking for employment he searched in Portland because I told him how vibrant and beautiful the city is.
In 2015 he and his family moved to Portland. My husband and I had divorced so nothing was holding me back in Houston TX.
I retired from a job I loved, sold my large house, gave away or sold most of my belongings and moved to Portland. I was looking forward to helping take of my 2 young grandchildren and involving myself in Portland’s rich art community.
I moved into a small apartment on May 19, 2017 with my cat and dog. Around 6 PM on May 22 I took my dog for a short walk outside. I looked both ways as I crossed the street. I was about a third of the way into the crosswalk when I heard a noise. A large bus was bearing down on me. It hit me throwing me onto the pavement. I suffered a major concussion and a shattered right femur.
I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and had surgery the next day. Then I spent 5 weeks in a rehabilitation center. When I healed enough to walk with a walker, Medicare decided I should be released. I knew that living alone would be dangerous for me. Besides, my apartment wasn’t for someone with a handicap. Medicare had not given me enough time to apply for assisted living so I moved into a senior apartment complex that provided meals and cleaning service. Plus there was nursing assistance business and physical therapy office in the building. I paid a high premium to live there. After 4 months there I bought a home near my son.
18 months later I had to have another surgery - a bone graft. I stayed 3 more weeks in a rehabilitation center.
The police had given the bus driving a ticket for reckless driving. The Drivers’ Union fought the ticket in court. Since The Portland police officer failed to show up for court, the ticket was dismissed.
Trimet was obviously at fault for my injures. They had a video that showed the driver running 2 stops before he ran the third one where I was in the street.
They had a moral obligation to pay me a settlement for my injuries that resulted in my being permanently handicapped. Instead of going ahead and fulfilling their obligation I had to hire an attorney and file suit against them.
At times I was followed by their private detective. I couldn’t email my friends, write on my blog, or post on facebook. Everything I said was open to Trimet. If I did email a friend, they would inevitably ask me how I was doing. If I said I was doing better, Trimet would interpret that as my total recovery.
So for over 2 years I did not write online. It took Trimet that long to give me a settlement. I had to turn over all my medical records - even those before the accident. On August 13, 2019. the deposition with my lawyer, Trimet’s lawyer, a recording clerk, videographer and the bus driver took place During the bus driver’s deposition I learned that he had rear ended a truck the week before he hit me. One of his passengers went to the hospital by ambulance. Trimet took no action against him. In fact, even after he hit me he was not fired. Trimet allowed him to keep his employment record clean by allowing him quit with the provision that he not talk or write about the bus company..
After Trimet’s lawyer presented the details of the deposition to Trimet, I was awarded the most that Trimet legally has to pay - less than $700,000. A third of that went to my lawyer, another third to my insurance companies for paying my accident related bills. That does not leave much compensation for a permanent disability.
I’m writing because I believe that Trimet does not train their drivers adequately. Nor do they have enough performance checks. The tort bill limits their liability so they do not fear retribution for their inadequacies.
Also, Trimet seems to be immune to traffic laws. The driver who hit me ended up with a clean driving record. Police officers should be instructed that they MUST show up in traffic court to insure that their tickets are upheld.
Now that I have lived in Portland for over 3 years I have witnessed many incidents of buses running stop signs, traffic lights, cutting off other traffic. I believe that buses need to follow the same traffic laws as other vehicles. Drivers should be trained that all traffic laws must be obeyed. If that had been done, I would have avoided all the pain and anguish that the accident caused me.
