Cable Car Derailment

Our client was a tourist from Texas who was injured on the Powell Street cable car line. At the intersection of Mason and Washington, the cable car lost momentum in the turn and became stuck. Instead of calling for assistance from a MUNI tow truck, the cable car operators decided to push it by hand. Once the cable car was free and moving, they reboarded, only to discover that the front door was jammed closed, blocking access to the car’s main brakes. The runaway cable car picked up speed heading down Washington Street before derailing in the turn onto Powell. The derailment ejected our client onto the street, resulting in a badly fractured right leg. Our client required two surgeries and developed a non-union at the fracture site. As part of the settlement, MUNI agreed to pay our client’s outstanding medical bill of $345,000.