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SALT LAKE CITY — A woman is suing the Utah Transit Authority for negligence after being injured by a wheelchair bus ramp in 2009.
Elaine Wood is named as the plaintiff in a civil suit filed Friday in 3rd District Court. In the lawsuit, the elderly woman who uses a wheelchair seeks unspecified damages for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
According to court documents, Wood was riding a UTA bus on Sept. 9, 2009. She was attempting to exit the bus at 7800 South and made contact with the ramp, which was in the process of lowering. Due to that contact, Wood was injured from her knees to slightly above her ankles.
The suit alleges that the driver of the bus was talking with other passengers and failed to notice Wood approaching the ramp.
"The ramp on the bus lowers slowly, and the injuries sustained by Wood were not instantaneous, but rather occurred slowly as the UTA driver failed to pay proper attention to the ramp," the suit states.
UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said the transit authority has not yet received notice of the lawsuit and generally does not issue statements regarding pending litigation. Carpenter did, however, say safety is very important to UTA.
"We always conduct a full internal investigation when a safety complaint is received," he said.
Email:benwood@desnews.com
