A Falmouth man has filed a lawsuit against the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) for alleged injuries he received from a VTA bus door closing on him in September 2015.
According to the civil complaint filed in Barnstable Superior Court on Sept. 6, Laurence Sheehan was exiting a VTA bus through the rear doors at the Steamship Authority stop in Vineyard Haven when the doors closed on him. “As [Sheehan] was exiting the doors, the doors suddenly and unexpectedly closed, striking [Sheehan] with considerable force, causing him to suffer bodily injuries, including, but not limited to, his right shoulder and arm.”
Sheehan’s attorney Paul Thebaud wrote in the lawsuit that Sheehan is seeking $30,698.95 in medical expenses to date, plus an additional $10,000 for anticipated future medical costs, totaling $40,698.95.
VTA administrator Angela Grant could not be reached for comment.
Thebaud detailed Sheehan’s injuries in the complaint as a “right shoulder rotator cuff tear requiring surgery, right arm, and neck.”
Additionally, the lawsuit asks for a trial by jury and for Sheehan to receive “such other and further relief as the court may deem just and proper.”
“As a direct and proximate result of the negligence of the [VTA], [Sheehan] was caused to sustain serious personal injuries, was caused great pain and suffering, incurred medical expenses, suffered lost earning capacity, was restricted in his activities, and was otherwise injured,” the complaint reads.
No hearing has been set for the case.