(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) Federal officials investigating the mid-September fatality of a 41-year-old woman at the Powell Street station are honing in on BART safety procedures to uncover how and why she was dragged down the platform to her death as her dog remained in the car.
According to an investigation report released Nov. 18 by the National Transportation Safety Board, Amy Adams had her dog leashed to her backpack as she boarded a Dublin/Pleasanton train at 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 13. Adams reportedly got off the train shortly before it departed.
"Seconds before the train’s departure, the passenger stepped out of the ninth car of a 10-car train and onto the platform, while the dog remained on the train," the report read.
The passenger doors closed, locking the dog inside the car while Adams was on the platform. When the train departed, Adams was dragged along the Powell Street station platform. The dog was uninjured and given to a friend of the deceased.
The preliminary report contained was unsurprising and a complete report will be issued following the conclusion of the investigation. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, federal investigators reviewed signal and control data logs, video from nearby security cameras and data from onboard passengers. Additionally, the federal agency reportedly interviewed witnesses on the train.
According to additional reporting from KTVU, Adams appeared to be waving at someone on the platform. Despite this reporting, the federal probe released Nov. 18 did not speculate on a potential cause.
The probe came roughly a week before a passenger fatally walked onto the tracks at the Richmond station on the morning of Sept. 23.
Alicia Trost, a spokesperson for BART, said surveillance footage indicated no foul play and the person was not identified.
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