(The San Mateo County Times posted the following article by Justin Jouvenal on its website on June 11.)
SAN MATEO, Calif. — A Redwood City woman has sued Caltrain, claiming the rail line is responsible for a train striking her and severing both her legs last summer.
Helen Coneff is seeking unspecified damages for mental suffering, permanent disability, medical expenses and lost work time in the suit filed in San Mateo County Superior Court on June 4.
The suit also names the County, Caltrain’s board of directors and AmTrak, which contracts to operate the rail line.
Coneff was waiting for a southbound train at the San Carlos station last June when the 37-year old was hit by a train as it pulled into the station. Exactly how the accident occurred remains sketchy.
The suit claims Coneff was “thrown to the train tracks and her two legs were traumatically amputated by the train she was waiting to board.”
The suit blames the accident on Caltrain employees not keeping a proper lookout at the station, poor training and inadequate flooring and safety materials on the platform.Caltrain officials told a different story of the accident last June. Spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie told the Times that the woman apparently laid down on the tracks in front of the train.
But on Tuesday, Janet McGovern, another Caltrain spokeswoman, would not talk about the accident or the suit.
After the accident, Coneff lay on the tracks for several minutes until an engineer on a northbound train spotted her and called for help. Maltbie said the engineer of the train that struck her did not see the woman because she was in a blind spot in front of the engine.
Coneff was rushed to Stanford Medical Center, where doctors unsuccessfully attempted to reattach her legs, which were severed between the ankles and the knees.
Coneff’s attorney did not return calls for comment.