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MARCO ISLAND, Fla. —
A Marco Island family is suing a para-transit company that operates in Collier County, claiming their disabled son was left defenseless during a brutal attack while under the company’s care.
Lisa and Michael Gourley have filed a lawsuit against MV Transportation, Inc., on behalf of their 31-year-old son, Colin Gourley, who has cerebral palsy, is legally blind, and uses a wheelchair. The lawsuit claims that the company and its driver failed to protect their son from an assault that lasted several minutes, leaving him with severe injuries and lasting emotional trauma.
A routine ride turns traumatic
On Nov. 14, 2022, Colin was being transported to an Easterseals Florida day program in Lely Resort when, according to the lawsuit, another disabled student (who was autistic) had an unrelated meltdown on the shuttle and attacked him.
“He was still strapped in on the bus … We got on, and he was just frozen. He couldn’t talk. I’m like, ‘What happened?’ Then we saw all these wounds all over his arms, and his neck was bleeding,” said Lisa Gourley, Colin’s mother.
The family has not placed any blame on the other disabled person who committed the assault, but instead alleges negligence from the driver of the bus and the company itself. Both parents of Colin Gourley claim that the vehicle was not stopped, nor did the bus driver attempt to prevent the attack from continuing.
“You’re kidding me. You just sat there and watched him be assaulted, and there was nothing you could do?” said Michael Gourley, Colin’s father.
The family tells Gulf Coast News their son has undergone years of therapy since the incident.
“He kept having nightmares at night. He’d say, ‘Leave me alone, leave me alone,’ … We’d try to talk to him, get him to verbalize it, but he was just stuck,” said Michael Gourley.
Allegations of negligence
MV Transportation is a California-based company that specializes in para-transit services for people with disabilities. It contracts with government agencies, universities, and school districts in more than 200 locations across the country, transporting over 110 million passengers annually, according to the company’s website.
The Gourleys’ lawsuit accuses the company of negligence, claiming it failed to provide proper supervision and safety measures for vulnerable passengers. According to the suit, MV Transportation was aware that Colin required a personal care attendant but allegedly failed to provide one during the ride.
The legal complaint argues that the company:
- Failed to provide proper supervision for disabled passengers.
- Did not adequately train employees to protect vulnerable individuals.
- Failed to intervene and stop the attack.
- Did not implement adequate safety measures.
“I would think that would be their job — to drive safely, and if something happens, stop the bus and stop an attack,” said Lisa Gourley.
Not the first case
The Gourleys’ attorney, Antoine Pecko, with Campione Law out of Jacksonville, tells Gulf Coast News his firm has represented another Collier County family with a similar allegation 6 years ago.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened with MV Transportation … I’ve actually represented another family, where a disabled woman was attacked on this very same type of Cat Connect transportation bus in Naples in 2019,” said Pecko.
Pecko says the similarities between the two cases raise serious concerns about the company’s safety protocols. The previous lawsuit was later settled out of court.
“Here we are three years later, and nothing has changed … We have essentially the same set of facts—the same entity, the same failures. This cannot continue,” said Pecko.
MV Transportation issued the following statement to Gulf Coast News:
“It is our policy to not comment on pending litigation.”
The family is requesting a jury trial.
