LOCAL 1395

WINS

ACCIDENT REVIEW BOARD

HEARING

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4/21/09 - Today an Accident Review Board Hearing was held at ECAT for Bus Operator Gerri Bell.  On February 2, 2009 Bell was charged by ECAT Management with a preventable accident.  At the actual accident a car ran a red light and hit Operator Bell's bus.  Bell was heading south on MLK Drive and sitting at the light at MLK and Cervantes Street.  When the light turned green Bell proceeded through the light slowly and had to come to halt due to the fact that a car heading west on Cervantes Street ran the red light making contact with the bus. 

ECAT Management tried to say that Operator Bell should of never entered the intersection and she should of applied the 4 second rule when the light changed.  The neutral party hearing the case was a representative from the Escambia County Sheriff's department who after hearing the evidence provided by the Company and the evidence provided by Union President Mike Lowery ruled that Operator Bell should receive a non-preventable accident and the preventable accident letters in her file should be removed.

"I appreciate everything the Union does, our President did a great job representing me and I'm glad we have a labor contract which allows me to have this avenue to object to a preventable accident".  Gerri Bell