Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog
A task force formed earlier this year to address shortcomings at TriMet, Portland’s public transportation authority, has issued a scathing report calling for sweeping changes in the culture of the transportation agency. In particular, the task force wants TriMet to strike the word “accident” from both its dictionary and its mindset.
“The group recommended eliminating the term ‘accident’ from its vocabulary, saying it implies that collisions are unpreventable,” The Oregonian reported. The Task Force was formed after a horrific incident last April in which a bus driver making an illegal left turn hit five people in a Portland crosswalk, killing two of them.
Among other things, the group suggested new incentives for TriMet employees to work toward improving safety performance, greater use of traffic and collision data to determine where Portland’s safety trouble spots are located, the appointment of a senior official charged only with overseeing safety issues and the development of better systems through which to assess driver performance.
According to the newspaper, the group opted not to take a position on the contentious issue of driver surveillance: the idea of training security cameras on the drivers themselves to help ensure that they are not engaging in Portland distracted driving. According to The Oregonian, “TriMet suggested the idea to the task force after firing a bus driver for reading his Kindle behind the wheel.”
We can all welcome the Task Force’s work as a good step toward improving safety on public transport. Still, when collisions do occur victims need to move aggressively to protect themselves. These are the kind of situations where the advice and assistance offered by a Portland bus crash lawyer can be invaluable. An experienced Oregon personal injury attorney with specialized knowledge of bus crashes, train accidents and other public transportation mishaps can help victims better understand where they stand in terms of the law, and help them take the actions needed to obtain justice and restore balance to their lives in the wake of an accident.
The Oregonian: Report says TriMet must change its culture to achieve new levels of safety
