And despite the heated words exchanged on paper, MARTA and GDOT say they are working together to resolve the safety concerns. McKinney, who was hired recently as MARTA’s safety chief, said the agency takes safety seriously and has made substantial progress. MARTA said it could not comment on the pending litigation except to say it was filed by a disgruntled former employee. “Those safety concerns directly affected MARTA operations and passenger and public safety.” Wyatt was a dedicated safety officer who was unlawfully terminated because he raised legitimate safety concerns,” said Robert Khayat Jr., Wyatt’s attorney. Meanwhile, former safety officer Harold Wyatt filed a lawsuit in Fulton County last month, saying he was illegally fired in retaliation for pointing out some of the safety violations substantiated in the GDOT investigation. The consultant concluded MARTA “has been subjected to a flawed and biased investigation.” The firm’s report said it could not substantiate GDOT’s findings.Īmong other things, the consultant’s report said GDOT never interviewed MARTA safety managers and ignored information MARTA provided about various issues that cast them in a different light. In addition to its formal response, MARTA hired a private consultant to review the GDOT investigation. MARTA said it’s already hired two consultants to help implement its safety plan. Among other things, it said MARTA must hire an independent contractor to perform a comprehensive analysis of safety on its rail system. In all, the GDOT report includes 11 findings of violations and directs MARTA to take numerous corrective actions to comply with safety regulations.
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