A frightening incident for a disabled woman in Regina is sparking change on multiple fronts.
The young woman was left inside a taxi cab for three hours because the driver didn’t know she was inside.
She was on a daily transportation run to the Cosmopolitan Learning Centre, where she participates in a day program.
The driver let out his passengers and returned to the cab compound, not realizing someone was still inside as he walked away. The woman has limited speech and mobility, and wasn't able to alert the driver.
“The cab driver didn’t complete a sweep of the vehicle and didn’t realize that he hadn’t removed her,” said social services spokesperson Bob Martinook.
Fortunately, most of vehicle windows and vents were left open, on a day when the temperature hit 30C.
The woman wasn't discovered until three hours later when the driver returned to the centre to pick her up. She had been in the vehicle the whole time.
“The parents and our staff as well went to the hospital and everything turned out well,” said Connie Lang-Schuette of Cosmopolitan Learning Centre. “The person is back at work today.”
Capital Cab says it’s very upset about the incident. The company said something like this has never happened before, and promised that it never will again.
It has developed new procedures with social services, including visual sweeps of the vehicle and installation of “vehicle empty” signs. They have also implemented a procedure to sign people in and out when they’re picked up and dropped off.
Social services is also reviewing the transportation policies of similar organizations across the province.
Based on a report by CTV Regina’s Wayne Mantyka
