Officials announced the reasons behind their most recent accident that injured seven people on Wednesday. A bolt caused the cable car’s smooth ride to abruptly stop. It fell off a track plate then became lodged in a cable groove, officials stated on Thursday.

A San Francisco cable car a still operating ca...
A San Francisco cable car a still operating cable pulled system (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 1 1/2-inch bolt fell off a plate then became lodged in the channel groove containing the pulling cable on Powell Street past Washington Street. It laid there waiting to ambush the northbound Hyde Street line cable car.  At approximately 10:15 a.m. the clash occurred and the cable car came to a violent stop.

Passengers aboard the cable car were casualties of the incidents. Of the seven people injured, one was an elderly man. He suffered life threatening injuries and is in the hospital. The cable car conductor and grip operator suffered a badly bitten tongue and injured ribs, respectively.

The same stretch is used by other cars intermittently. About ten minutes prior to the accident a different cable cars passed through route without an accident. When investigators arrived at the scene they were attempting to figure out why the bolt fell out of place, according Muni spokesman Paul Rose.

To prevent future situations like these from injuring passengers, Muni crews will conduct weekly cable car line inspections. They will survey every similar bolt to ensure it is in its proper place, if it’s not, they will do what is necessary to alleviate the problem.

Cable cars are amongst the prime choice of transportation for first time visitors to San Francisco. Along with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars are a staple of the city. They are a historic relic of early city development.

Worldwide, San Francisco is considered to be the last place to have manually operated cable cars. The city has managed to include them in the fast paced world to bringing nostalgic joy to tourists and longtime residents alike. Sometimes the operating company, Muni, while doing what they can to keep these vehicles on the road, run into a few operational mishaps, which happens from time to time.

If you have been injured in a public transportation accident, make sure to see a doctor first. Then take note of the situation and get the names of witnesses and call a San Francisco train accident lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation that could pay for your lost time and your hospital bill. Without compensation you will be forced to pay for damages on your own.

AA Accident Attorneys will listen to your case for free, so call today!