In June 2022, a SamTrans bus operated by MV Transportation, a private transit contractor, struck and killed Sol Gloria on a dark portion of El Camino Real in Menlo Park near Valparaiso Avenue and Menlo College. The driver of the public transit bus, Jimmy Maerina, stated to NBC Bay Area that SamTrans and MV Transportation “have to change those headlights. The headlights are the main issue here.” Mr. Maerina said that he had warned his supervisors about the headlights being too dim “numerous times. Been warning them about two years now.”
NBC Bay Area spoke to 13 other bus operators driving for SamTrans through MV Transportation that said they have trouble driving at night on dark roads due to headlight issues. The family of Ms. Gloria filed a claim against SamTrans, as did the driver of the bus, Mr. Maerina, which is very unique. In response to Ms. Gloria’s death, MV Transportation issued a memo instructing drivers to use high beams whenever they can, especially on El Camino. SamTrans had MV Transportation withdraw its memo because it was not authorized. Unless SamTrans and MV Transportation improve the headlights on their buses, more catastrophic collisions will occur.
The attorneys at Abramson Smith Waldsmith, LLP have extensive experience representing victims of serious injuries against public entities, such as SamTrans (https://www.aswllp.com/public-entity-liability/), and private bus operators, such as MV Transportation (https://www.aswllp.com/auto-accidents/bus-public-transit-accidents/). More specifically, ASW has represented clients against SamTrans and MV Transportation, and handled many cases involving incidents on El Camino Real.