Wrongful death lawsuit against Greyhound Lines, Inc. goes to trial

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — Two years ago a young man died after being run over by a Greyhound bus in Central Point. This week, a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family is going to trial.

In the early morning hours of June 29, 2017, 25-year-old Hunter Brown was traveling between San Francisco and Seattle on a Greyhound bus. The bus made a pit stop at the Central Point Pilot Travel Center. Brown got off the bus along with other passengers. However, the bus doors closed before he could make it back. According to police, Brown ran alongside the bus and when the driver tried to pull over, he heard a thump.

“He could violate Greyhound’s unwritten policy and procedures, act so callously knowing that a young man was running after, trying to get on the bus and refused to stop, resulting in this man’s death and yet Greyhound continued to let this man drive one of their buses,” Charla Aldous, plaintiff’s attorney said.

Six months after Brown’s death, attorneys representing Brown’s parents announced it was filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Greyhound Lines, Inc. The civil suit seeks damages and accountability from Greyhound to change its business practices.

“It’s just a horrible, horrible situation all the way around,” Aldous said.

The Jackson County District Attorney’s office declined to file criminal charges, but Brown’s parents continue to fight Greyhound in civil court.

“This was intentional. He knew a young man was running beside the bus. He knew he had left him at the bus stop. He knew all those passengers were screaming at him to stop and he just didn’t do it,” Aldous said.

The suit was filed in Texas, where Greyhound headquarters are located. The trial is scheduled to start this week with opening remarks scheduled for Wednesday. His parents say his death was ‘100 percent preventable.’ According to the lawsuit, the driver had already driven a ‘excessive length of time’ that day and was inappropriate, erratic and unsafe.

“Passenger safety actually should come first,” Aldous said.

The lawsuit also claims the driver deliberately turned the bus toward Brown before running him over.

“I hope that through the course of this trial that the clients, the parents get some healing, get some answers and Greyhound is taught a lesson that we will not allow this kind of conduct,” Aldous said.

According to the attorney’s office, the driver has since been fired for smashing the cell phone of a passenger, who was recording him being rude to other passengers.

We reached out to Greyhound for comment and did not hear back.