Trial News
Verdicts & Settlements: Government Liability
Failure to warn of light-rail vehicle’s ejection danger
August 22, 2024Mary Shoals was riding a TriMet MAX Light Rail Vehicle (MAX) while commuting to work in downtown Portland. Partway through her ride, the MAX stopped unexpectedly and violently, throwing her into the vehicle’s wall. She suffered a shoulder injury that necessitated surgery.
Shoals sued Tri-County Metropolitan Transit District of Oregon, alleging it had negligently failed to post any kind of warning that a hard stop could occur and that the seat she was sitting in could eject a passenger because it lacked a belt, strap, or bar.
The jury awarded $210,000.
Citation: Shoals v. Tri-County Metro. Transit Dist. of Or., No. 19CV56435 (Or. Cir. Ct. Multnomah Cnty. Oct. 13, 2023).
Plaintiff counsel: Timothy J. Heinson, Damascus, Ore.
