Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317426278 - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On December 30, 2013, an employee was working as a bus operator for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). On the day of the incident, she was on her assigned route for the day. She was on Metrobus Number 7078. The bus had been manufactured by New Flyer of America Inc. of Minnesota in August 2011. It was a New Flyer Model XDE40, 12.2 meters (40 feet) in length. She was in the parking lot of the White Oak Shopping Center, in Montgomery County, Maryland. While the bus was parked at a stop in the shopping center, she got up from the driver's seat and left the bus. Witnesses saw the operator go around to the driver's side window and reach in. This act was believed to be the way operators shut the doors using the controls next to the window inside the bus, on the left side of the driver's seat. When the doors are open, the bus's service brake is applied, so that the bus cannot drift while passengers are entering and exiting the bus. Apparently, the parking brake had not been engaged when the employee left the bus. Once the doors closed, the bus started to roll forward, toward a wall that was approximately 3.1 meters (10 feet) away. When the bus came to a stop, the operator was pinned between the bus and the wall. The bus operator was killed. The bus was inspected after the accident by the Montgomery County Police Department. It was found to be operational. The inspection was witnessed by both WMATA employees and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689. The operator was in possession of a valid operator's license authorizing her to operate the bus.

Keywords: BUS, ASPHYXIATED, TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, WALL, BRAKE, PINNED, DRIVER