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Wheelchair-bound man and wife tumble off M14 bus lift onto street, treated for minor injuries


Harry

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An elderly couple tumbled out of a city bus on a Manhattan street on Thursday - causing a brief scare for passersby, officials and witnesses said.

 

Pedro Marrero, 75, who was in a wheelchair, and his 64-year-old wife, Maria, were standing on the lift of the M14 bus as it descended to the curb on Ninth Ave. at W. 17th St. about 12:25 p.m., sources and witnesses said.

 

The handicapped man - who wears a brace on his right foot because one leg is longer than the other - suddenly started to roll off the lift, witnesses said.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/08/05/2011-08-05_horror_as_duo_fall_off_lift_exiting_bus.html#ixzz1U9u8aUDk

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Could have been a mechanical problem, why were there 2 people on it?

There is a weight limit, which I believe to be 600lbs. I hate to say this

but if buses didn't have wheelchair lifts, more buses would be on schedule

and not bunched up. Let them ride on Access a ride.

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Curious to know what was the operator's testimony.

What happened with the restraint?

 

There are no restraints on a lift.

 

Could have been a mechanical problem, why were there 2 people on it?

There is a weight limit, which I believe to be 600lbs. I hate to say this

but if buses didn't have wheelchair lifts, more buses would be on schedule

and not bunched up. Let them ride on Access a ride.

 

Great solution! Exclude the disabled just because they are not as fast as us!:tdown:

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I also think both paratransit should be decrease to current MTA fare and make Nassau County Able-Ride and Bee-Line Paratransit to drop to $1.10 and install Auto gate farebox on Access-A-Ride, Able-A-Ride, Bee-Line Paratransit (similar to Autugate Turnstile that allows disabled to open service gate with their Reduced Fare MetroCard)

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I am sure that some B/O's have intentionally passed customers in wheelchairs

for various reasons, now this B/O is in hot water regardless

if it wasn't his fault as he or she is responsible for the each riders safety.

 

I will ask this question again...why were there 2 people on the lift?

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Curious to know what was the operator's testimony.

What happened with the restraint?

 

The flap that retracts to the upwards position when the lift is in motion is the restraint I'm referring to.

 

That flap won't stop anyone from falling off the lift if they stumble forward. The lift probably jerked or something on its way down, and possibly that wheelchair was not locked

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Only one person on a lift at anytime. In a loud voice I always say "lock your brakes" when ever I'm using the lift. I once had a lady on the M14 board at Union Square going westbound. The lady had a heavy bag on the back of her wheel chair. when she went from the concrete on to the lift that little bump sent her backwards. She was OK cause her large backpack acted like a cushion and braced her when she rolled backwards. I must say that this was no way my fault and after boarding her, she laughed about it all the way to 8th Ave. I myself was scared sh!tless. when this happen, I seen my career with the MTA over. When ever the MTA looks at accidents the outcome is either preventable or non preventable. In this cause since he had two people on the lift It will be considered a preventable accident and the Operator will get time on the street even if the lift failed in someway.

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I am sure that some B/O's have intentionally passed customers in wheelchairs

for various reasons, now this B/O is in hot water regardless

if it wasn't his fault as he or she is responsible for the each riders safety.

 

I will ask this question again...why were there 2 people on the lift?

The only way that would happen is if access a ride service is improved to a point where the disabled will no longer need to use fixed route buses.

There are no restraints on a lift.

 

 

 

Great solution! Exclude the disabled just because they are not as fast as us!:tdown:

Err Sometimes I have to walk or run due to them slowing a bus down but at least I get a good workout running for the metro north at fordham as the BX12 is too slow to rely on even without disabled

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I also think both paratransit should be decrease to current MTA fare and make Nassau County Able-Ride and Bee-Line Paratransit to drop to $1.10 and install Auto gate farebox on Access-A-Ride, Able-A-Ride, Bee-Line Paratransit (similar to Autugate Turnstile that allows disabled to open service gate with their Reduced Fare MetroCard)

 

Access-A-Ride is a very expensive service to provide. Even if it slows the buses down, it's still a lot cheaper to accomodate them on a regular bus. (Of course, I would be pissed if a wheelchair passenger caused me to miss my connection)

 

The long-term solution is to make all of the stations ADA-accessable (and build more rail lines, but that won't be in our lifetime), so seniors have the option of taking the subway and not slowing everybody else down.

 

I am sure that some B/O's have intentionally passed customers in wheelchairs

for various reasons, now this B/O is in hot water regardless

if it wasn't his fault as he or she is responsible for the each riders safety.

 

I will ask this question again...why were there 2 people on the lift?

 

Well, I could understand it if the buses was crowded. I remember on the S46, a woman got on with a cane, and the driver lied and said that there was another bus behind him (of course, nobody was considerate enough to offer the woman a seat. :mad: )

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The most screwed up part of this is that in my days of living at the Lower East Side right across from the M14A, 6 out of 10 times I see the 2nd person behind the wheelchair going up the lift. I've never seen that occur on the M15 and they are always picking up wheelchair folk on the local. It's almost notorious on the M14A.

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Curious to know what was the operator's testimony.

What happened with the restraint?

 

It looks as though he just fainted and tumbled off the lift, taking his wife with him. The wife was in a walker and her husband was helping her, and fell off the lift where there is no railing.

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The MTA should use more low floor buses on these heavy W/C lines but before anyone says it i know i know if it makes sense....

Glad we are 100% low floor down here

 

The MTA is replacing the high-floor artics with low floors in the future, but the 5500s to 5700s are from 2003, and replacements are at least a year away. Up here, there are 16-year old Orions in service.

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Out here in LA, Wheelchairs are now pretty rare, everybody has power-chairs now.

 

I have to say though to all those who defend disabled on fixed routes: when you miss a transfer and have to wait 40-60 minutes in the hot California Sun in the middle of summer. Better yet, when you are on a crowded bus with 2 power chairs taking up atleast 10 good seats, at the same time you see two empty Paratransit buses go by, and to top it all off one of supposed "disable" persons WALKS their power-chair off the bus...

 

I swear they giving these power-chairs away. It used to be you can only get one of those unless you had an actual disability...now you can get one just because you are too lazy to walk a few miles.

 

I have nothing against the disabled and have a deep respect for those with actual disabilities, but I wouldn't complain if disabled didn't have a special service ONLY THEY CAN USE.

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Out here in LA, Wheelchairs are now pretty rare, everybody has power-chairs now.

 

I have to say though to all those who defend disabled on fixed routes: when you miss a transfer and have to wait 40-60 minutes in the hot California Sun in the middle of summer. Better yet, when you are on a crowded bus with 2 power chairs taking up atleast 10 good seats, at the same time you see two empty Paratransit buses go by, and to top it all off one of supposed "disable" persons WALKS their power-chair off the bus...

 

I swear they giving these power-chairs away. It used to be you can only get one of those unless you had an actual disability...now you can get one just because you are too lazy to walk a few miles.

 

I have nothing against the disabled and have a deep respect for those with actual disabilities, but I wouldn't complain if disabled didn't have a special service ONLY THEY CAN USE.

SMART:tup::tup: great post
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  • 2 months later...

I'm a training coordinator for Special Transit in Colorado, We had a passenger fall off our lift 3 years ago, we installed a front and rear belt on our lifts, the belts have prevented many accidents, and make our passengers feel secure both, wheelchair passengers and ambulatory, we have over 150 buses, Great solution!

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I'm a training coordinator for Special Transit in Colorado, We had a passenger fall off our lift 3 years ago, we installed a front and rear belt on our lifts, the belts have prevented many accidents, and make our passengers feel secure both, wheelchair passengers and ambulatory, we have over 150 buses, Great solution!

 

 

We have those on our express buses.....you must have the belt going across before you can move it up or down....safety first!!

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