LOS ANGELES—A man who sustained severe injuries after being hit by a bus while he tap-danced across an intersection in downtown Los Angeles is suing the City of Los Angeles for $100 million.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that the crossing signal language is vague and uses scare tactics, with the flashing red “dont walk” not indicating that tap-dancing or any other form of locomotion across the roadway could be hazardous. The suit also states that although the missing apostrophe in “don’t” did not contribute to the man’s inability to understand the contraction, it was nonetheless distracting and must be corrected.
Rose S. Zimmer, the plaintiff’s attorney, said that in addition to an award for damages, her client also hopes that his case results in fewer scare tactics and less negativity used in signage across the city. As an example, she said that her client would like to see “no smoking” signs reworded as “inhale clean air only.” And, she added, they have discussed issuing a cease and desist order on the incredibly divisive and negative common practice of creating lists of “do’s and don’ts,” which could easily be made inclusive and positive by simply revising the don’ts to do’s.
The City of Los Angeles has not commented on the lawsuit except to note that most crossing signals have been converted into ones using pictograms instead of words. Zimmer noted that her client has also had trouble understanding the flashing red hand, often mistaking it for a “hot high-five.”
