It’s the end of the year and that means it’s time for all of the top lists of 2012 to start coming out. I love lists, whether it’s “best” lists, “worst” lists or my own “to-do” list. And while we track a variety of metrics for our website so we know what people are looking for, I always find it interesting to see what the top viewed items of the year were. Below are the top viewed stories on our site for the year, along with some follow-up information.
Woman Raped on Bus as Onlookers Ignore Incident
For 2012, the most viewed news story happened just the other month, in November. An 18-year-old mentally disabled woman boarded an LA county bus in Culver City after returning from school. With the mental capacity of a 10-year old, this was a trip she had just recently been allowed to make on her own.
Kerry Trotter, 20, boarded the bus and raped her at the back of the bus. He was arrested a few days later from an anonymous tip by someone who saw his image from the surveillance camera that was released to the public.
He was on probation for a grand theft conviction from earlier in the year and he was also previously investigated for sexual assault but no charges were ever filed. He pled not guilty to one count each of forcible rape and rape of an incompetent person and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object. If convicted, he faces more than 20 years in prison.
Teen Killed Putting His Head Out Emergency Hatch of Bus
Daniel Fernandez, 16, was on his way to a sweet 16 birthday party with 65 other teens aboard a double-deck Designer Limousines’ bus. The teens had been dancing and the bus had gotten hot. The security guard on the upper level repeatedly asked the teens to leave the emergency hatch alone and when he went downstairs to tell the driver it was getting hot; Fernandez stuck his head out of the emergency hatch and hit the underside of a highway overpass.
The bus was in New Jersey at the time of the incident and was apparently doing so illegally; it was three inches higher than the maximum height and three feet longer than the maximum length. The company, based out of New York, had also been pulled off the road in that state, but the state Department of Transportation later reversed the decision and the company was granted a “special hauling permit,” despite being larger than regulated dimensions.
There were also concerns raised in that typically there is two staff on board, in addition to the driver, so that there is security on each floor.
Even with Big Salaries, Metro Can’t Fill its Jobs
A story was done by the Washington Times that talked about Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority salaries, hiring and overtime expenses. Metro has said it can’t find qualified job applicants to fill positions and unable to meet personnel needs, in 2010 they paid $88 million in overtime.
The agency prepares to add 1,000 new positions for an expansion coinciding with the opening of the Silver line to Washington Dulles International Airport, while they have one in 10 existing positions unfilled and 5 percent turnover each year.
ATU President Admits Theft
Steve Green, who had been president of the Amalgamated Transit Union for about seven years, admitted to stealing $3,800 from the workers’ pension fund.
A pension fund trustee had approached the union with accusations that Green had been dipping into the fund. When confronted, Green quickly admitted to taking the money. He had used a union credit card issued by a home improvement store and used the money for personal home improvements.
Green sent a letter of apology, repaid the money and resigned. General counsel for the ATU 1321 said the union would be conducting an audit and following the audit, would be taking appropriate action to address the outcome.
