Tri-City Charter of Bossier
MARSHALL - A Louisiana charter bus company is being sued after one of its passenger's suffered a knee injury when the bus' hydraulic door closed on the passenger's leg.
Perry Carter filed suit against Tri-City Charter of Bossier Inc. on March 12 in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.
The incident occurred on Oct. 10, 2010, as Carter was taking a round-trip bus ride from Texas to watch a concert in Arkansas. According to the lawsuit, the bus was having mechanical difficulties, which included a lack of air-conditioning.
During one point on the trip, the bus driver pulled into a truck stop in order stop the bus from overheating and Carter stepped out of the bus to talk to the driver about the air conditioning.
Carter states that the bus driver pushed the button to close the door while he was standing with one leg on the ground and one leg in the bus' doorway. The door closed quickly and Carter's knee was injured.
Carter claims that upon returning home he learned that he had a quadriceps tendon tear that would require surgery.
Tri-City Charter of Bossier is accused of common carrier negligence and negligent supervision, training, hiring or retention of employees who operated the bus or performed the maintenance on the bus.
The defendant is also accused of gross negligence for allowing passengers to enter and exit the buss through a doorway which had an automatic opening and closing system that was malfunctioning.
The plaintiff is asking the court for an award of damages for medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, physical impairment, loss of earnings, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of services, exemplary damages, court costs and interest.
Carter is represented by Jarom Tefteller of Tefteller Law in Gilmer. A jury trial is requested.
U.S. District Judge David Folsom is assigned to the case.
Case No. 2:12-cv-00136