Both drivers involved in last month’s hotel shuttle wreck near the airport are being sued, as well as the companies that own the wrecked vehicles.
MTI Limo and Shuttle Services and USA Truck Inc. were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in DeKalb County State Court.
Also named were Mario Cochran, who was driving the tractor-trailer making a U-turn on Loop Road in College Park on May 24, and Yolanda Boles, the shuttle bus driver whose bus collided with Cochran’s truck, injuring all 16 of her passengers.
None of the defendants could be reached for comment.
The plaintiffs in the suit are Karan Kanodia of Massachusetts, and Sandeep and Pooman Kanodia of India, and their child, Mallika. They were all passengers on the shuttle bus and were injured in the wreck, according to the lawsuit. The Kanodias could not be reached for comment.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages along with compensation for medical and legal fees, alleging negligence against all the defendants.
“The conduct of defendants MTI, Boles, USA Truck and Cochran was negligent, grossly negligent, reckless, and showed willful misconduct,” the lawsuit states.
College Park police charged Boles and Cochran with felony serious injury by vehicle, although those charges were later removed by a Fulton County magistrate judge.
Police also charged Boles with driving a commercial vehicle with improper licensing, saying she didn’t have the proper driver’s license required to operate a bus that carries 15 or more passengers.
The owner of the bus, Michael Toye, said previously that Boles had mistakenly driven away in a shuttle larger than she was licensed to drive.
Boles also was charged with operating a vehicle with improper tires and operating an unsafe vehicle.
Police cited MTI and Toye for allowing an unsafe vehicle on the road. State investigators determined the shuttle didn’t have brake fluid and the rear brakes didn’t work properly, and that a tire needed to be replaced.
Seat belts were available on the shuttle, but investigators said none of the passengers were using them.
Cochran was charged with making an illegal U-turn, in addition to the serious injury charges, for which there is no indication they were reduced.
About the Author
