John Matthews
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Another possible black eye for Metro?
A Maryland attorney has filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the transit agency, claiming his client died at the Judiciary Square Metro station, and was not discovered until four days later.
The suit claims that Okiemute Whiteru, a 35-year-old attorney from Southeast DC, lost his balance and fell off a rising escalator in October, 2013. While trying to recover from that fall, the suit claims he then fell eight feet into a crevice under the platform. By the time he was found, Whiteru had died of his injuries.
According to court documents, the family’s attorney claims Metro employees had seen Whiteru fall, and that survellance video captured the accident. Still, the suit claims, Metro did nothing to check on the man, and his body was not retrieved for more than four days.
Louis Close, an attorney representing Whiteru’s parents, has not been available to comment on the suit. A Metro spokesman declined comment, telling WMAL the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.
An initial hearing in the case has been scheduled for August 21st.
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