Woman, 82, kicked off train for singing

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MIAMI, March 7 (UPI) -- The family of an 82-year-old woman who was forcibly removed from a Florida train for singing said she suffered possible shoulder and hip fractures.

Donald Anderson said a passenger on the Miami-Dade Metrorail train captured cellphone video of his mother, Emma Anderson, 82, being removed from the train by a security guard who grabbed her bag and pulled her from her seat, WPLG-TV, Miami, reported Thursday.

"He snatched so hard until I fell. I fell backwards," Emma Anderson said.

Donald Anderson said X-rays found his mother may have suffered shoulder and hip fractures from the incident.

"When I look at them snatching my 82-year-old mother up off that Metrorail, it's disgusting to me," he said.

Emma Anderson said the guard told her she was being removed for singing her spiritual hymn.

"I was beating my little beads with the bottle and I was singing a song, and he came up to me and said, 'Ma'am, you're making too much noise,'" she said.

Miami-Dade Transit spokeswoman Karla Damian said Emma Anderson was violating the rules by singing loudly and refused requests to stop.

"Miami-Dade Transit has a responsibility to all its passengers to provide a safe and comfortable travel experience. ... We regret that Ms. Anderson had to eventually be escorted out, but regardless of age, all passengers need to abide by the rules associated with using transit," Damian said.

Donald Anderson said the family has hired a lawyer for potential legal action.