The family of Corazon Dandan, the 74-year-old Daly City woman tragically pushed to her death on a San Francisco BART platform last summer, is taking legal action against the transit agency. In a lawsuit claiming BART failed to ensure rider safety and prevent crime within its facilities, the family demands damages, along with funeral and burial expenses, as reported by SF Chronicle. Trevor Belmont, the man charged with Dandan's murder, had a prior ban from BART which police did not enforce, the suit alleges.
Belmont, who is also known as Hoak Taing, was seen pushing Dandan at Powell Street Station on July 1, 2024, as she was heading home from her job at a Union Square hotel. Despite being embroiled in nearly two dozen criminal cases in San Francisco since 2013, Belmont was allowed access to the station where the deadly encounter took place. Dr. Alvin Dandan, the victim's nephew, expressed his family's grief in an interview, "We told her it's dangerous to BART stations," he said. "[The family] told her to stop doing the commute," as per a CBS News Bay Area report.
This lawsuit comes amidst rising concerns about violent crime on BART, a sentiment underscored by the stabbing that occurred in November, perpetrated by a man with a criminal history as well. Furthermore, the attorneys representing the Dandan family highlighted that while the number of violent crimes on BART has decreased, the rate of violent crimes per ride remains nearly double compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the SF Chronicle.
Allegations include wrongful death, elder abuse, and dangerous condition of public property among others within the lawsuit filed. Measures like installing glass barriers, seen in busy New York City subway stations, were cited as reasonable safety precautions that BART has yet to implement. Attorneys also referenced a plea to Governor Gavin Newsom for additional policing support, which, till date, has not been actioned. "What we want is for this not to happen again," Dr. Dandan told SF Chronicle, calling his aunt's death a "wake-up call" for the city and the need for intensified police presence on BART.
