The City of Santa Maria has rejected claims filed against the City by the family of a bicyclist who died after being hit by a transit bus in April.
Family members of Veronica Zamora filed four separate claims on April 23. One for Zamora’s spouse and three for her children, one of whom is still a minor, according to the family attorney, Ruben M. Ruiz.
Zamora was pronounced brain dead April 8 and taken off life support two days later following the April 2 crash that happened at the corner of Caballero and McCoy Lane.
Police have done a reconstruction of the accident scene but so far, have not released additional information regarding the investigation.
City officials previously said a toxicology report found the bus driver, who is a contract employee, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
Calls to First Transit, which the City says operates the buses, have not been returned.
Ruiz previously said if the claims were rejected, the family would likely file a civil lawsuit, but said what they would be seeking had not yet been established.
The family was reportedly conducting their own investigation to determine how the collision happened.
