MTA investigating death of woman in wheelchair at Hollywood and Highland station

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Brenda Carter fell to her death last week while she and her attendant tried to go up escalator at the Hollywood and Highland metro station because the elevator was broken. M.T.A. board members came under fire today from John Walsh, member of the United Rail Riders of Los Angeles, who claimed the problem was larger than this single accident. "The reason the elevator was broken and she tried to take the escalator is one billion dollars with a "B" in deferred maintenance," said Walsh. The L.A. Times reported last April the county agency was facing a $1.3 billion maintenance backlog involving mostly service vehicles and station repair. Some lines also needed more immediate repairs to tracks, signals and passenger cars. M.T.A. chairman and L.A. County supervisor Michael Antonovich said an internal investigation is underway to ensure its facilities are kept up to date. "We ought to know how often our elevators and escalators are not working, how many stations only have one elevator for disabled, strollers and bicyclists, and what processes are in place to ensure that these elevators and escalators are repaired very quickly," Antonovich said. He also said the agency is evaluating the rapid response during the accident including how long it took for "the ambulance to arrive from the time of the injury," and if "the victim [was]given first aid before the ambulance arrived by M.T.A. staff." That process will take time, said M.T.A. spokesman Marc Littman. "This could take weeks," Littman said. "I mean they have to interview witnesses, they look at surveillance cameras, they look at our whole procedures." He explained the process is important not only for safety reasons, but also to discover better ways to communicate with disabled riders once a problem is identified through signs, announcements and Metro personnel. Depending on what the investigation turns up, M.T.A.'s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act may be under the microscope. Paula Pearlman is the executive director of the non-profit Disability Rights Legal Center in Downtown Los Angeles. She explained the ADA issues involved via cell phone. "It's not like if it's out of order for a day it's out of compliance, but if it's out of order and they know it's out of order, and they haven't taken any steps to repair it, and they don't have a system in place to notify people or to keep track of the repair issues, then it would be an A.D.A. violation." The M.T.A. does have a history of failing to meet federal disability laws. Last year, the agency settled a lawsuit filed by wheelchair riders who were not properly secured by bus drivers. Time will tell if this incident opens the county up to more litigation