Metro bus tragedy update

The Salvation Army has agreed to administer the Route 359 Victims' Fund, for which donations are still being taken at any branch of Washington Mutual Bank. The fund will help reimburse the immediate needs of passengers for such things as airplane and bus tickets, extended motel stays, and day-to-day food for extended families to visit the victims who need their support.

Several other memorial funds have been established to assist victims of the tragedy.

Thousands attended an emotional public memorial service for Mark McLaughlin on Tuesday, December 8th. More than 60 buses from Metro and around the region took part in a procession from the Kingdome area to the memorial. See the story from the county's employee Intranet.

In McLaughlin's memory nearly all in-service Metro buses stopped and observed a moment of silence at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 3rd. At that hour King County Executive Sims announced that Metro would be retiring the number of Route 359, McLaughlin's route, "so that years from now, people will ask why? And we can remember a person . . . we never want to forget."

Many messages of condolence are being received on a special remembrance web page from the local community and beyond.

The Health Department has alerted anyone who was potentially exposed to blood at the accident scene that one of the victims is HIV-positive and that they should contact their care provider.

Flags were flown at half-staff at all King County facilities from Nov. 30th to December 8th in memory of Mr. McLaughlin.

"This senseless accident is of tragic proportions and my heart goes out to the family of the driver and the passengers injured in this accident," said Sims on Nov. 27th. "While investigators are still trying to sort through the chain of events that led up to the shooting and accident, it appears it was a random act of violence. I commend the many police, fire and emergency personnel who mobilized quickly to respond to this horrible accident and assist those who were injured."

The fatal accident on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle is the worst in Metro history. The death of driver Mark McLaughlin is the first fatality ever to occur since Metro was formed back in 1973. The only previous fatality in the metropolitan area occurred back in the mid 1960s when a Seattle Transit driver was shot and killed during a robbery. After that, drivers no longer had access to fares. Shortly after Metro was formed, a driver was shot while on his route in the Rainier Valley, but was not seriously injured.

Over the years, as the overall crime rate has grown in the area, Metro has steadily increased transit security personnel to patrol buses and passenger areas. More recently, Metro Transit Police have also become a special unit of the King County Sheriff's Office in an effort to enhance security. While Metro Transit has continued to take steps to tighten security, this accident appears to be a senseless and unprovoked crime that has resulted in lost lives.

Updated: Dec. 16, 1998