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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Anyone have any idea what the outcome was? Re: Woman who was beaten and sexually assaulted on GO train in 1991

This landed in my in-box tonight:

16 years ago, she was attacked on a GO train. She's still fighting to get over it

All the person asked is if I had any information, six years later, if this was ever resolved as the person believes I work for GO Transit.

No, I do not work for GO Transit. This is the first time I've ever heard this story. It's disturbing. And unfortunately, I don't know if she ever got the financial compensation she was looking for.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

i believe this incident is what fueled the installation of emergency call systems on GO trains. the TTC followed after. i no longer work for GO but started in 1990. i remember this incident. awful thing. it was handled terribly. i'd also like to know if she got any resolution.

C.J. Smith said...

Re: emergency call system
Yes, it says that right in the article.
:)

LP said...

"No I don't work for GO Transit"
BUT IT WOULD BE OH-SO-AWESOME IF YOU DID!

Anonymous said...

This is a difficult situation. I can understand GO not wanting to set a precedent for liability to trespassers, but, at the same time, this obviously should have never happened.

I don't work for GO transit, but I know some people who do, I can tell you that both GO and Bombardier (who now staff GO's trains) read this blog, and no passenger should feel unsafe aboard a train. Press the alarm strip if you feel threatened -- the crew's steel toes are good for more than safety, and they take passenger security seriously, to a man.

I feel like this situation is more emblematic of a problem with our legal system than it is with GO.

Anonymous said...

Why would it be awesome if C.J. worked for GO?
I think it would suck. How much fun could one have if brass is watching?

MATT said...

To say that she's not entitled to compensation because she was a trespasser is ridiculous. It's not like she didn't pay a fare, and was looking for a refund because the train was late (yes, I know that's a 2013 remedy, but it's being used demonstratively).

If she'd paid her $4 or whatever it was back in 1997, THEN she'd be someone that GO feels they would be liable to protect? C'mon...give me a fucking break. You provide a service like public transportation, you owe a duty of care to everyone on the system. Yes, those people SHOULD pay, but those who don't aren't all of a sudden subject to a lower standard of security or protection. That's why we have fare inspections and enforcement. When you're caught fare jumping, you get a fine. If she paid the fine, then what's the big deal?

Anonymous said...

I've heard of this story quite well. The reason GO wont compensate this passenger is that she took a risk by not buying a ticket hence she was technically trespassing or unlawfully on someone's property. Common law does state that if a trespasser got hurt on your property then the property owner is not liable. I think GO has a case on this.

April said...

I feel for her. It is a terrible story, but she is not entitled to compensation.

I agree with GO transit (that is a first). She didn't pay her fare. I rush for the train every day but I never forget to pay. She is one of many riders who believe they should be able to ride for free. We all see this every day.

The fact that something so horrible happened to her while on the GO Train is terrible, but it doesn't change the fact that she was breaking the law.

If you are jay walking against a red light and get hit by a car (yes, all of you stupid, stupid people at Bay and Front, I am talking to you), good luck suing the driver of the vehicle. In fact, the driver of the vehicle or his insurance company can sue YOU for damages caused to the car. The same line of thought applies here. She had no right to assume that GO transit would protect her or keep her safe when she was blatently violating the law.

How the hell GO Transit knew she didn't buy a ticket, I don't know. I certainly wouldn't be asking a sexual assualt victim "so . . . sucks that this happened. Can I see your ticket?"

MATT said...

Had a second thought after reading the article again...if "she was caught without a ticket that day. In effect, she was a trespasser and GO Transit and CN said they don't knowingly permit non-paying passengers to remain on board their trains." does that make her a trespasser ALL DAY?

Also, the don't knowingly permit non-paying passengers to remain is absolute bullshit. I have never, ever, in all my 15 years riding GO Transit, seen someone booted off a train after getting a fine for non-payment. Not once. They get a fine or a warning, and the GO-stappo usher themselves off to the next coach.

mark p said...

@matt, me neither, ive seen people get fined on Viva and GO trains and via trains (someone tried to use a GO transit ticket on a via train from niagara falls. thinking the ticket worked for both... that was entertaining to watch)

Bicky said...

@Matt, there was a time (eons ago), that peeps without a ticket would get booted off at the next station stop. They stopped that at some point and now just issue a fine.

I've been on the GO for 21, almost 22 years.

MATT said...

@Bicky - I believe you. My point was that if in my own 15 years that it hasn't happened once that I'm aware of, it's fairly unlikely that only a year prior they were still in the practice of evicting non-paying passengers.