Palm Harbor, FL — A woman was injured after she was hit by a public transit bus in Palm Harbor, Florida, on Thursday, February 12, 2015. The accident took place in the parking lot of the Publix on East Lake Road.
The woman who was injured in the accident was identified as 72, year old Marcia Oder. Reports say that Oder was walking in the middle of a crosswalk when a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus hit her. She was trapped beneath the bus and dragged a short distance before the vehicle came to a stop.
Emergency workers took Oder to Bayfront Medical Center in critical condition.
The driver of the bus was identified as Nikolay Plentnev. Reports say that he did not see Oder in the crosswalk. He has not yet been charged. Police are continuing to investigate the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Accidents involving any sort of public transport vehicle are going to be a little tricky, because the vehicle is often times owned by the state. Filing a claim against a state-owned entity isn’t impossible, just much more difficult than your typical car accident. There are typically very strict filing deadlines that have to be observed, meaning that the claim must be filed within a certain time after the accident. There are also limits to the amount of compensation a victim can receive for their injuries. Of course, some of these vehicles are privately owned. In those cases, a claim is handled just like any other car accident.
This accident specifically surprises me a bit, because the driver of the bus told authorities that he wasn’t able to see the victim before crashing into her. That seems odd, given his view of the road at the time. My only question here would have to be, if the driver wasn’t able to see the victim, what was he paying attention to in those final moments before the accident?
— Grossman Law Offices
