Woman seeking total of $30M in damages
A Capitol Hill staffer who was hit and critically injured by a Metrobus in September is suing Metro.
Amanda Mahnke, communications director for Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages.
As a result of the incident, “Mahnke suffered numerous permanent injuries, including but not excluding, fractured skull, epidural hematoma, broken clavicle, fractured ribs, collapsed lung, pelvis fracture, traumatic brain injury, as well as numerous other permanent injuries,” according to the suit, which was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
Just after 8:30 a.m. Sept. 3, Carla Proctor was driving an empty bus along Florida Avenue north of Dupont Circle when she struck Mahnke, who was crossing the intersection at Connecticut Avenue.
Proctor had a history of negligent driving and should not have been on the road, said Patrick Regan, Mahnke’s lawyer.
“The bus driver had a record that if you were a noncommercial driver, you probably wouldn’t be allowed to drive,” he said. “You [have to] make sure they’re safe. This was not a driver who should have been out there driving this bus.”
Proctor was initially placed on paid administrative leave after the crash, which is standard following all accidents, and was fired later that month. Proctor failed to “do everything in her power to avoid that accident,” Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said at the time. She tested negative for drugs and alcohol, according to Metro.
About a dozen witnesses told Regan that the traffic light turned red and Mahnke got the walk sign. She took a couple of steps into the intersection and was hit by the bus, he said.
While potential criminal charges would be up to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Regan said he “absolutely” thought such charges should be pursued.
“That’s negligence. This driver is deliberately speeding, deliberately running a light,” he said. “If there’s ever a reason to pursue criminal charges, this is the case.”
Metro said it would not comment because it is an ongoing case, said spokeswoman Taryn McNeil.
Mahnke could not be reached for comment Thursday.
