A disabled Cook County woman is suing the Chicago Transit Authority, alleging negligence in a fall she says resulted in serious bodily injuries when she was thrown out of her wheelchair inside a public bus.
Caridad Lopez filed a lawsuit June 19 in Cook County Circuit Court against the Chicago Transit Authority, alleging liability in a May traffic incident.
According to the filing, on May 2, Lopez was a passenger on a bus owned and operated by the CTA when between 8:30 and 9 a.m., on Clark Street south of Schiller Street, the driver accelerated the bus from a stopped position, then abruptly slammed on his brakes. The suit says Lopez was thrown about the bus' interior and to the floor, sustaining bruises, contusions, fractures and other injuries to her head, brain and spine.
The suit states the defendant and its driver failed to properly secure her to ensure her safety, train employees to assist people with disabilities, monitor its employees, warn the plaintiff of the danger, notice a red light promptly and drive at a sufficiently slow speed to avoid the sudden stop.
The plaintiff alleges severe pain and anguish, limitation in daily activities, and liability for medical bills.
Lopez seeks damages in excess of $50,000 plus attorney fees and costs. She is represented by attorney Gary Topper of Topper & Weiss in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015L0006235.