Woman run over by bus sues city and bus company, citing driver’s poor record
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HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - A 62-year-old Hawaiian woman who was run over by a city bus is now suing the city and the bus company.
According to KHNL[1], the crash happened just before dawn on Sept. 22, 2021, when Di Lu was on her morning walk.
Her attorney, Robert Miyashita, said she was wearing light-colored clothing with reflective walking shoes when the bus struck her while she was attempting to cross the street.
The impact ended up smashing the bus window, and Lu was reportedly dragged under the bus.
Authorities said firefighters were able to extract Lu from underneath the bus after the collision.
“It didn’t look like he [the bus driver] appeared to press the brake,” a witness reportedly told an officer at the scene. “He could have slowed down with the brakes, but I didn’t see that.”
According to Lu, she is suing the city and the bus company, Oahu Transit Services, after learning that the bus driver, identified as Abraham-Alfred Aurio, had a troubled personal driving record which the company may have ignored.
She said she barely survived the crash and currently lives with physical and emotional damage while walking with a cane.
“She feels more kind of trapped,” her son, Jeff Gao, said. “Nowhere to go, nothing to do, just in constant pain.”
According to police, Aurio’s inattentiveness appeared to be a factor in the crash, and Lu was in the crosswalk with the right of way.
Lu’s lawsuit states that Aurio had a number of prior offenses on his prior driving record.
According to Miyashita, the company should have known about Aurio’s prior offenses and prevented him from operating a bus.
“These are the responsibilities of any business owner to make sure that their employees are not only qualified upon hiring but also qualified throughout their entire employment,” Miyashita said.
The Oahu Transit Services has not yet commented on the lawsuit, according to KHNL[2].
“The family wants the lawsuit to lead to changes that may prevent other tragedies,” Miyashita said.
Aurio is currently not facing any charges from the crash, according to police.
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