Blind Woman Files Claim Against RTD

A blind woman who said she was bloodied in a fracas aboard a crowded city bus and received no offer of help as she walked 15 blocks to her Hollywood home filed a negligence claim Friday against the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

Millicent Collinsworth, 39, who was bruised and cut in the bus incident on Monday, filed the claim to force the RTD to investigate the incident and determine why the unidentified bus driver did not go to her aid or radio for help, said Janet Gullixson, her attorney.

“She wants to make sure that others are protected,” Gullixson said.

Emotional Distress

The claim, mailed to the RTD, says Collinsworth suffered emotional distress in addition to injuries to her face and jaw. It says the bus driver failed to assist her and failed to identify the passenger who caused the fracas. The amount of damages are still unknown, the claim says.

Collinsworth said she and her guide dog boarded the bus in Westwood late Monday afternoon to return to her Hollywood home. A standing passenger in the crowded bus suddenly “went berserk,” began flailing his arms and demanding to be let off, she said. In the commotion, she said, she was struck twice in the face, once by one of the man’s arms, once by a backpack.

She said she pushed her way off the bus with her guide dog and walked home without anyone stopping to help her.

At first, she said, she mistook the blood from her nose and mouth for tears. She discovered she was bleeding only when she reached for her keys at the door to her apartment. She said her hands were sticky with blood.

Police said they do not believe that the incident involved a crime. They said that the passenger who apparently caused the commotion was claustrophobic, and that Collinsworth was hit accidentally.

Offers of Help

Since the episode, dozens of people have called to offer her help, such as driving her on her errands. Collinsworth said she has been overwhelmed by the offers.

“I was so terrified and felt so lonely the other day, and now I realize I’m not as lonely as I thought I was,” Collinsworth said.

Collinsworth, an unemployed actress, gradually lost her vision after a 1979 accident in Irvine. She was hit between the eyes with a hammer that fell off a gazebo. She has lived on a financial settlement stemming from the accident.