O.J. Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran is taking the case of a black teenager whose death led to accusations of racism against owners of a suburban shopping mall in Buffalo, N.Y.
Cynthia Wiggins suffered fatal injuries when she was hit by a dump truck last December while crossing a busy seven-lane thoroughfare.Wiggins, 17, had just gotten off a bus and was on her way to Walden Galleria, where she worked in a fast-food restaurant.
Questions about the location of the bus stop arose in the wake of the accident, and transit officials said the mall refused to allow buses from Buffalo's predominantly black east side on mall property.
After a mall boycott was threatened, officials agreed to let buses from the line the girl was riding onto mall property but denied any wrongdoing.
The girl's family plans to sue and asked Cochran to assist, said attorney Carl Douglas, who works in Cochran's California law office.
Douglas said Cochran is fascinated by the case.
"There are interesting issues as to the circumstances surrounding her death, particularly in terms of the placement of the bus stop," Douglas said.