Workers’ Compensation Claims Expected to Roll in After Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Shooting Earlier This Year

On May 26, 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) became yet another landmark in the U.S. representing violence and despair.

A gunman entered the VTA early that May morning after setting fire to his own house as a means to distract first responders from the mayhem he was about to create.

The VTA itself consists of five buildings and employs nearly 2,000 employees. The gunman’s assault focused primarily in the maintenance yard during what has been described as the busiest time of the day — a shift change — and Building B, where a conference meeting was being held.

Nine VTA employees lost their lives. The perpetrator was a tenth casualty.

In the aftermath, authorities learned that the gunman was also an employee of the VTA, where he had worked as a mechanic since 2012. The motive is not certain, but it is believed that ‘unfair work assignments’ fueled the gunman’s actions.