Category: News

Muni’s new insurance policy — too late to cover this weekend’s West Portal crash? (update)

6 comments

Trainwreck4 copy
Photo by 2girls1queen

Update (August 6, 2:17 p.m.): SF Appeal helps answer the question this post asked 18 days ago. Thanks, guys!

Original post: Regular service has resumed after yesterday’s West Portal accident, but the fallout is far from over. The SFAppeal reports that 48 people were injured, four of them critical. Ahem, anybody smell a lawsuit coming? This brings us to a KCBS story that a reader sent to us about how the MTA board approved the purchase of something known as catastrophe insurance, which pays for lawsuits. Pretty sad that such a policy is warranted.

But lo and behold, a mere three days following the board’s vote, an accident more or less validates that decision.

Since the MTA board just voted to purchse the “catastrophe insurance” last Wednesday, we’re not sure if a further vote is necessary to enact the insurance policy. Or does the Board of Supervisors need to approve this?

And does the policy cover Saturday’s crash? We doubt it, unless this is a magic policy that’s magically already in place. It would be nice, if only to cover Muni’s already-broke ass. If the policy isn’t in effect, we foresee the potential for multiple lawsuits. If that happens, does Muni fall into an even deeper hole? Ugh.

Category: News Tags: , , ,

F Line Muni Streetcars, Vehicle Crash on Market — Updates with SFMTA statement

Leave a comment

F-car-crash-2
Photo: @hankish

Update (1:21 p.m. Tuesday):

MTA Chief Operating Officer Ken McDonald resigns. Streetsblog SF has more.

Update (7:59 a.m. Tuesday):

SF Appeal has more details, including quotes from Nat Ford and Bevan Dufty, the area’s rep at City Hall. Here’s what Dufty had to say:

“This accident was avoidable, Muni procedures require a minimum of one block spacing between street cars. I can’t imagine any excuse.”

Update (midnight-ish):

MTA chief Nat Ford issued a statement and MTA’s press release identifies the drivers of the F cars, StreetsBlog reports:

The two Muni Operators were identified as Lonny Butler, who was operating the moving streetcar (Car No. 1893), and Leonard Peralta, who was operating the stationary streetcar (Car No. 1007). Butler began as a Muni Operator in 2002 (he joined the rail division in 2007) and Peralta was hired in 1995 (he joined the rail division in 1999). Per normal procedure, both Operators will be tested for drugs and alcohol and have been placed on non-driving status pending the results of the investigation.

(See more about the statements and photos – there’s a couple of pics with Supervisor Dufty and the clean up after the crash.)

Read more

Category: News

WTF happened on this M, Muni?

3 comments

M Ocean View - Outbound
Photo by Flickr user balebengong

Muni rider Anna Rozhko retells a seemingly lame occurrence on the M-Balboa Park today:

So here’s the story, I was on the M line on my way back to downtown SF a little after 4 p.m. today (August 2, 2009) and I’m just minding my own business when I can feel the driver braking really hard and the next thing I know I hear us crash into whatever is in front of us. Mind you I was facing towards the back of the bus so I didn’t see who was at fault and how it happened. So, after we stop, almost everyone gets off the bus and I go over to the van full of people to make sure everyone was ok, and one of the women who was in the van asked me to call 911 because her phone wasn’t working, so I phoned them and they said they were sending police to our location. After I made sure everyone was ok, I got back on Muni and got home safely (Thank Buddha) …

There were no injuries, and [911] dispatch asked me so as well, which brings me to believe that they didn’t send any ambulance. I hopped on the next M line behind the one I was initially on until it was cleared, but I never saw any cops come to the scene. I know that the supervisor of the Muni driver did show up and take pictures and make chalk lines of where the accident occurred …

This happened at 19th and Junipero Serra.

If you know more about what happened Sunday on this M, let us know in comments.

Category: News Tags:

Tragic Death of Muni Driver

Leave a comment

Golden Gate Bridge

This very sad news just came into our inbox via Andy at SFWeekly: a Muni driver jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge and died last Thursday. The coroner told SFWeekly that he was wearing his full Muni uniform. Rene Lee Ing, 56, was a veteran Muni driver with 20 years of experience.

From SFWeekly’s Joe Eskenazi:

At least a dozen calls to the Transportation Workers Union have not been returned, and our queries to Muni’s management haven’t been answered yet either. But several Muni drivers — speaking on background as Muni has supposedly “really been coming down on” drivers who talk to the media following this month’s train collision — paint a hazy portrait of a desperate man in an unenviable work situation.

Read the rest of the SFWeekly post.

Details about Ing’s employment situation are still fuzzy, but we will keep you posted.

Category: News

BART, union reach deal; strike averted (updates)

Leave a comment

Update 3: SF Appeal is on it.

Update 2: SFGate gets the story first, as far as we can tell:

BART asked its five labor unions to agree to $100 million in concessions over the next four years. The transit district targeted the costs of employee benefits along with work rules that it says contribute to excessive overtime.

Update 1: ABC 7 has the story headline, but no story.

Original: KCBS reports that BART negotiators and union reps have reached a tentative four-year labor contract agreement. Check back here or here for details on the agreement.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/31/BAFN1926DB.DTL
Category: BART, News

L-Taraval, car crash? (updates)

Leave a comment

What matters?
Photo by Flickr user warzauwynn

Update: SF Appeal reports that the L-Taraval is running again. No injuries have been reported (yet?).

Original: I’m seeing a few tweets about a possible crash involving the L-Taraval and a car. Namely:

@cellojules Just heard a MUNI collision involving an L and another car. Yes, heard. Avoid 19th and Taraval and expect L delays. Glad my bus not involved

@cwbuddha Getting reports of an SUV/Muni collision at 19th and Taraval. Situation Snarled.

Please comment if you know more, and of course if you were on the LRV or saw this happen. Or have photos/video.

Category: News Tags:
1 … 225 226 227 228 229 … 257