A 78-year-old woman is suing the City of Edmonton and its transportation system, Edmonton Transit (ETS), for $1.1 million after she was pushed off the platform of the light rail system (LRT) and fell on track two months ago.
Sharda Devi Naidu, who worked at the University of Alberta Hospital, was seriously injured after being kicked and pushed off the station platform Health Sciences/Jubilee from LRT on April 25, 2022. A 20-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault for the incident.
The attorney representing Ms. Naidu, Basil Bansal, filed a civil action on June 17 in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench alleging that the City’s negligence led to the attack and the resulting injuries.
” We believe that the City of Edmonton and the authorities of the transportation system should have done something and taken some measures that could have stopped this. “
According to the lawsuit, the City failed in its task of making the transport space safe on several levels: the lack of guards on the platform of the LRTthe lack of regular surveillance of the area and the poor control of passengers at the station.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Ram Mudalier, Sharda Devi Naidu’s brother, has confirmed that his sister has been discharged from hospital and is recovering from her injuries. However, she still uses a walker and a wheelchair to get around.
The lawsuit says Ms Naidu suffered numerous injuries to her back, legs, knees, feet and waist.
Ram Mudalier does not know when and even if she will be able to return to work at the University of Alberta hospital one day. He thinks the incident could have been avoided. I blame the City for what happened to Sharda said the victim’s brother.
According to the lawsuit, the City and Edmonton’s transportation system failed to reach Sharda’s brother in a timely manner and failed to allow emergency services easy access to the platform.
A matter of safety for passengers
Ms. Naidu’s lawyer believes that the City of Edmonton should strengthen its security measures on the platforms of the network of the LRT. It’s a matter of safety for passengers and for the public he said.
The criminal incident that occurred in April was a tragedy for Ms. Naidu, and we continue to offer our condolences to her and her family. said Michelle Plouffe, the lawyer representing the City, in a statement on Tuesday.
We will handle the lawsuit as appropriate, through normal processes, and review it carefullyis added.
The lawsuit was filed as Alberta’s capital tries to address transit safety issues in downtown and Chinatown.
According to Mrs. Naidu’s brother, the City should act as soon as possible to resolve these problems. Increasing security measures on the platforms would give passengers a better sense of security he says.
With information from Natasha Riebe
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
