ALTAMONTE SPRING, Fla. — An 81-year-old man in a wheelchair remains in the hospital after he was attacked on an Access Lynx bus two months ago.
Herbert Doktor was badly injured when deputies said Rene Burgos jumped on the bus in Altamonte Springs and stole it.
Doktor was being loaded onto the bus to be driven to a dialysis appointment.
"The man jumped onto the bus (and) said he was taking the bus for a ride because someone was chasing him," Melissa Doktor, the victim's daughter, said.
Both the driver and Doktor were thrown to the ground when Burgos sped away with the bus, deputies said.
The victim's family said Doktor's face hit a bus window and left bruising. He suffered a broken finger and hip when he fell. They also said Doktor has bleeding in his brain.
"There was just blood everywhere. I can't even describe it. It was horrible," Melissa Doktor said.
The family is suing Access Lynx, claiming that the company has a policy of leaving the keys in the ignition and the doors open during bus loading.
Justin Clark, the family's attorney, said Lynx claimed that the doors were left open because of the Florida heat. Clark said that if someone did it with a car, he or she would be asking for trouble.
"They're just leaving the doors wide open with the ignition running all the time. It can't happen. Lynx is going to have to do something to protect these people," Clark said.
The family hopes that Doktor can finally leave the hospital after fighting infection from his injuries, but Melissa Doktor said she's still scared, and the incident changed her father.
"My dad is more of a peppy, outgoing man. This is not my dad anymore," Melissa Doktor said.
Lynx officials would not comment on the pending litigation.
Burgos is facing charges of carjacking, kidnapping and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
Cox Media Group
