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Caltrain Not Held Liable In Boy's Death
According to a jury in San Mateo, Caltrain and Amtrak should not be held liable for the death of a teenager in 2000. The boy was killed by a commuter train in San Mateo more than five years ago.
The lawsuit was filed by the boy's father following the death of his son, Michael Bulnes Jr., 16, on October 16th, 2000. The boy was hit while at the San Bruno and San Mateo Avenue crossing.
The lawsuit alleged that the boy was killed because he had steeped in a pothole, broke his ankle, and was unable to pull his foot out before the train hit him.
According to the attorney's, the lack of maintenance of the crossing led to the boy's death and therefore the company should have been held liable for the death.
A study was conducted by the California Public Utilities Commission and they did in fact name the railroad crossing as one of the worst in the pedestrian safety category in the state. The company acknowledged that the crossing had sustained damage in relation to the construction being performed by the Bart-San Francisco airport extension construction.
People had complained about the state of the crossing many times but before the accident, they were ignored.
Although Amtrak was not let off the hook in terms of their maintenance of the crossing, the seven-man, five-woman jury did say that their negligent maintenance should not be found directly responsible for the boy's death.
The jury spent an entire day deliberating before coming out with the verdict.
The lawsuit had named Amtrak, Caltrain and the Peninsula Joint Powers Board as attorneys.
The attorney for the Peninsula Joint Powers Board stated that the boy had ignored all the warnings such as bells, lights, and the lowered gate, placing the blame for the accident on his part.
There were no eyewitnesses prior to the train's impact.