Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in CTA Accident
The family of a man fatally pinned under a bus earlier this month on the Near West Side filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the CTA.
Sandra Minter claims that on March 18 James Minter exited a No. 9 Ashland bus that pulled away from the West Harrison Street bus stop before he was safely on the curb, causing him to fall under the bus and fatally run over by the rear tires, according to a suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
Minter, 53, of 8054 S. Justine St., was pronounced dead at 2:19 p.m. at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. An autopsy determined he died of multiple injuries from a bus striking a pedestrian and the death was ruled an accident, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
CTA spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said after the accident that preliminary reports indicated the bus was proceeding towards a green light when the man fell and was struck. The bus driver was removed from service following the accident, a standard procedure, Thrall said.
The suit claims the bus driver failed to check the mirrors before pulling away, failed to make sure Minter was safely on the curb and failed to stop the bus after Minter fell.
Sandra Minter, James Minter’s sister, is seeking more than $30,000 from the CTA.
Nobody on the bus was injured, Thrall said.