ATLANTA — The family of a woman who died soon after stepping off a Greyhound bus in Atlanta claims the driver failed to stop along the trip to get her help for a medical emergency.
"If their passengers are traveling a long ways and they are in need of medical attention, they need to stop. People's lives are at stake," Tyra Payne said.
Payne's mother, Robin Shelby, was traveling from California to Georgia by Greyhound bus with her grandson in July 2017. They were on their way to a family reunion in Monroe.
But the 58-year-old woman fell ill when the bus stopped to drop off passengers in Birmingham, Alabama.
"Everything was going well until they got to Birmingham, and then she had trouble breathing," said family attorney Jonathan Johnson.
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Paramedics checked the grandmother, and she re-boarded the bus bound for Atlanta. But a little while later, she felt worse. She called her daughter by phone.
"I said, 'What's wrong mom?' She said, 'I don't know, something's wrong.' And I said, 'Ask the bus driver,'" Payne said.
The family attorney said Shelby and her grandson told the driver she needed medical assistance. The driver acknowledged what they said, but kept driving, according to the attorney.
"If they had been on a plane, they would have gone and landed at the nearest airport to get emergency assistance. This bus could have stopped at any exit but failed to do so," Johnson said.
The lawyer said Shelby collapsed after stepping off the bus in Atlanta and later died at Grady Hospital. Doctors determined the cause of death was a blood clot in her leg.
"I believe the pressure of the driver trying to meet his schedule and get to his destination on time was a motivating factor that resulted in this death," Johnson said.
The family has filed a lawsuit against Greyhound, the driver and a supervisor in Atlanta, claiming negligence.
In responding to the lawsuit, Greyhound said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Cox Media Group
