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Matron fired for abandoning man with cerebral palsy on bus to get off work early
A matron for a bus service for handicapped people was fired, the company said on Saturday, after it learned she deliberately abandoned a man with cerebral palsy overnight on an icy New Year's Eve to get off work early.
- AP
- Published: 23:19 January 3, 2009
New York: A matron for a bus service for handicapped people was fired, the company said on Saturday, after it learned she deliberately abandoned a man with cerebral palsy overnight on an icy New Year's Eve to get off work early.
Edwin Rivera, a severely disabled 22-year-old, was supposed to be escorted home from his special-needs school.
Instead, authorities said, matron Linda Hockaday knowingly stranded him. He was found, curled up and rocking, after more than 17 hours parked in a Brooklyn bus yard.
Hockaday was charged with reckless endangerment and fired.
"There's no excuse for it," said Peter R. Silverman, a lawyer for Outstanding Transport Inc, a company that specialises in transporting the disabled. "It's just inconceivable."
Hockaday, 51, did not enter a plea at her arraignment on Friday; her bond was set at $2,500. Her lawyer, Candace Kurtz, said Hockaday has no criminal record.
One of Rivera's sisters, Khristine, told reporters: "Just because he is the way he is doesn't mean he's less of a person. He just needs extra help."
Rivera's parents reported him missing after he did not return from his school on Wednesday evening.
Their son, who has cerebral palsy and is unable to communicate verbally, still had his seatbelt on when he was found, police said.
His body temperature had dropped about three degrees during a night when the outside temperature ranged from 15 Fahrenheit (-17C) to 30 degrees (-1C), according to the criminal complaint.
He was in stable condition at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Centre.
Police report
Hockaday told police she knew Rivera had not been dropped off and was asleep on the bus when she got off, the complaint said.
But she did not tell the driver because she was headed for an appointment and did not want to go back to Rivera's East Harlem home, according to the complaint.
Her lawyer suggested the driver of the bus should be double-checking but the bus company's attorney said drivers rely on matrons to make sure all the passengers have gotten off.
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