Lawsuit alleges negligence by shuttle driver in September crash that killed pedestrian
The sister of a woman struck and killed by a shuttle bus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section in September has filed a lawsuit against UPMC for negligence.
Mary Flaherty, 76, of Monroeville was struck about 3:40 p.m. on Sept. 17 as she was walking near the intersection of Terrace and Buffalo streets at an unmarked crosswalk, the lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, Senta A. Thomas was driving a shuttle bus operated by UPMC when she made a left turn from Buffalo onto Terrace and struck Flaherty.
By the time first responders got on scene, a nurse was performing CPR, police said.
Flaherty died less than 30 minutes later at UPMC Presbyterian hospital.
Pittsburgh police, which investigated the incident, wrote in their crash report that Thomas was “making improper/careless turn,’” the complaint said.
The lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court by Flaherty’s sister, Janice Flaherty, of Indiana County, as the executrix to the estate.
It includes a single claim of negligence.
At the time of the incident, UPMC released a statement expressing its sympathy and noting it was cooperating with the police investigation.
“This is a tragedy for our community, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the deceased and with all who witnessed this terrible event,” spokeswoman Andrea Kunicky said.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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