LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 100-year-old World War II veteran filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the agency running buses in southern Nevada after she said a driver’s inaction left her wheelchair unsecured, causing it to flip over and leaving her with severe injuries.
Rhoda Jones achieved the rank of technical sergeant, serving in the Army in both George and Utah during the 1940s, court documents said.
On Aug. 6, Jones, who uses a wheelchair, requested a ride through RTC’s paratransit service to return home from church, documents said. A bus driver then picked up Jones, however, Jones alleges the driver failed to properly restrain her, documents said.
“Ms. Jones told the bus driver on three occasions that her wheelchair was not secure,” Jones’ attorneys, Robert and Sydney Murdock, write in court documents. “Yet, the bus driver did not stop, did not pull over, and did not listen to Ms. Jones’ concerns and fear.”
At one point on the ride, the wheelchair “[flew] backward,” causing Jones to “hit the back of her head on the metal ground of the bus, and her body thrown.”
A photo accompanied in the lawsuit shows a large gash in the back of Jones’ head.
The lawsuit accuses RTC and the driver of failing to secure the wheelchair and listen to Jones’ warnings, documents said.
An RTC spokesperson previously said the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation.
