Fire victims get another negative ruling

Panama’s Supreme Court has again rejected a multi-million dollar claim for damages against the state filed by one of the families of the 18 people incinerated in a public transit accident.

The fire took place in October 2006 in the area of La Cresta, and many survivors were severely burned. The court said the state was not responsible, but the owner operators who are now in jail.
The lawsuit was filed by Maria Elena Rivera Pinto, the death of her sister Marcela Rivera Pinto.
The decision of May 24, 2010 was made by Winston Spadafora, with the approval of judges Victor Benavides and Alejandro Moncada Luna.
The judges felt that "there is no obligation of the State," represented by the Transit Authority and the National Bank of Panama, to compensate the plaintiffs.
After the catastrophic the fire there was a short flurry of activity to compel buses to have emergency exits and comply with laws about playing music.