A D.C. attorney has filed $50 million lawsuit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), alleging a metal pole fell and struck him in the head at a Metro station, severely injuring him.
The man said he'd just gone through the fare gate at Metro Center in August 2015 when the pole fell, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says the pole was part of machinery used to close the entrance to the station at the base of the escalators. It fell and "violently struck" the man before "crashing to the ground," the suit said.
He stumbled onto an upward escalator and got help from people on the street level before being taken by ambulance to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital, the suit said.
The man sustained "severe and prolonged bodily injuries" and hasn't been able to continue his work as an attorney, according to the suit.
The lawsuit claims that WMATA "knew or should have known" that the machinery... could pose a danger to passengers and passersby if not properly maintained and secured."
The incident was captured by at least one WMATA surveillance camera, the suit said.
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Both the man's attorney and WMATA declined to comment.
