The family of an elderly woman who was killed when she was pushed into an oncoming train have now sued the transit system for failing to keep it safe.
Corazon Dandan, 74, was shoved in front of a moving Millbrae-bound train at San Francisco’s Powell Street station at 11.06pm on July 1 by career criminal Trevor Belmont, 49.
The push caused the telephone operator to hit her head on the train and fall on the platform. She was soon pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Her family now argues in a wrongful death suit that Belmont had been banned by the Bay Area Rapid Transit Direct system for repeatedly jumping the pay gate – but the transit system did not have enough security personnel to enforce the ban, the San Francisco Standard reports.
The family also argues in the suit filed Tuesday in the US District Court of Northern California that BART ‘enables horrific crimes’ to occur on its platforms and trains, and is a ‘complete failure’ when it comes to taking action for safety, according to KTVU.
‘We seek to hold BART accountable for its failure to keep my aunt safe,’ Dr. Alvin Dandan said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit on Wednesday.
‘Through this case, we hope that what happened to my aunt never happens to anyone else,’ he said. ‘In her name and in her memory, we would like to see justice.’
They are seeking damages for wrongful death, elder abuse, dangerous condition of public property and survivor claims, and called on the transit agency to ‘take responsibility for its negligence, address all of the failures set forth herein that led to Corazon’s death and improve safety for all riders,’ CBS reports.
Corazon Dandan, 74, was shoved in front of a moving Millbrae-bound train at San Francisco’s Powell Street station at 11.06pm on July 1, by career criminal Trevor Belmont, 49
Her family filed a wrongful death suit against the transit system
In the federal lawsuit, the family notes that Belmont – who also went by the name Hoak Taing – was arrested 27 times across the Bay Area over the past two decades.
He was even convicted for engaging in lewd conduct at the Lake Merritt station, and was ordered to stay away from all BART stations for three years.
But Belmont managed to get onto the platform at the Powell Street station on the night of July 1, as Dandan was on her way home to Daly City from her job at Parc 55 Hotel in Union Square, where she had worked for 30 years.
No motive has ever been given for Belmont’s attack on Dandan.
‘Something’s got to change,’ Alvin said, adding that he hopes his ‘aunt’s death not be in vain.
‘I wish that we can rebuild this city to what it once was.’
The lawsuit goes on to argue that the transit system failed to make any efforts to improve safety over the years, and said the issue is especially concerning for members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, who are ‘disproportionately targeted on public transit.’
Corazon was returning home from work on July 1, when Belmont attacked her
No motive was ever given for the attack, but Belmont had a lengthy criminal history
It cites a November letter from state and community leaders to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, highlighting BART’s safety issues.
BART General Manager Robert Powers is pictured. The lawsuit accuses the transit system of failing to ensure its safety
The letter includes a 2023 safety survey, which found that zero percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents described the transit system as ‘very safe,’ while 78 percent worried about becoming a crime victim on the trains.
‘I saw my sister the week before she died and worried for her safety, taking BART late at night every day,’ said Dandan’s youngest brother, Reynaldo Dandan.
‘My worst fears came true.’
Then, two days after Corazon was killed, state and local officials wrote to Newsom requesting the deployment of California Highway Patrol officers at the train stations to prevent any similar incidents.
‘This lawlessness has to stop,’ lawyer Nanci Nishimura said.
‘BART has long been on notice about the need for improved safety and protection.’
The lawsuit also emphasizes that Dandan’s death ‘does not constitute an unforeseeable accident, but rather is a direct result of the violence that BART has ignored and enabled throughout their statins through its negligent conduct.’
Dandan came to the United States from the Philippines by herself, her nephew said
At the news conference, Alvin used the opportunity to speak about his aunt.
He said she came to the United States from the Philippines by herself, and was a telephone operator back in her homeland for Westin hotels.
She was then able to land the same kind of job in San Francisco at St. Francis and later at Parc 55.
Corazon would often offer her home up to visitors for free, Alvin said, and everyone in the hotel where she worked knew her because she would ‘cook a boatload of food for dinner’ and bring it to those working nightshift with her.
She didn’t even need to work anymore, but kept at it because she loved her job.
‘She had a lot to live for, and a lot of kindness that she would give, but that was taken way too soon,’ Alvin said.
Her killer is now charged with one count of murder and inflicting great bodily injury on a vulnerable person, with the District Attorney adding a special circumstance of lying in wait.
He is due back in court on February 11.
DailyMail.com has reached out to BART for comment.
