After the tragic pedicab accident that happened in Belltown on August 6, many people blamed the driver. New information in an article in The Stranger is revealing however, that the pedicab company may be at fault. A former employee of the Cascadia Cabs company says in reference to the company's owner, Ryan Hashagen, "I've been reading what Ryan has been saying to the media and I want to say the other side of it... He's blaming the driver when I think that there are poor management practices that are actually to blame for the accident."
The former employee who asked to remain anonymous goes on to say that the company doesn't provide enough braking mechanisms on its pedicabs, relies on inexperienced bikers, and is insufficiently thorough in safety training. Not only that, but apparently the pedicabs have only a simple braking mechanism which is a metal bar connected to a leather strap. There are no hand brakes on the pedicabs.
When the owner of Cascadia Cabs was told of the former employee's complaints, he said, "Our company policy is safety first. We have a motto. That is, 'Be safe, have fun, and make money.' ...[Drivers] are not allowed to leave the shop with nonfunctioning brakes."
He also went on to say that drivers are told to avoid hills like the one that played a role in the tragic crash. Hashagen explained that all their drivers receive extensive training and are told, 'If you can't go up it, don't go down it," However the company's former employee insists, "They do do a very short training, but they never tell you not to go down hills."
What do you think?
