PORTLAND, Ore. -- Marilyn Jefferson cried when she saw the video of  3-year-old Aiden standing helpless as his dad was whisked away on a MAX train.

It reminded her of a few weeks ago when she was boarding MAX with her own daughter and 3-year-old granddaughter. They got on, but she was still outside in her wheelchair - trying unsuccessfully to get the disabled ramp down. Then the doors closed.

Similar to Aiden's case, Jefferson said she kept pushing the call button and there was no response.

"I'm pushing buttons on the outside," Jefferson recalled as if it were yesterday, "and they were pushing the buttons on the inside."
    
Jefferson said the doors still would not open. The train took off.

"My grand baby was crying," she said, "and they were separated from me just like that."

Aiden and his dad know just how that feels.

"I was really, really upset," said Aiden's father, Aaron Bailey.

As they boarded a MAX train in Southeast Portland, Aiden stepped back off and pushed the disabled button, closing the doors between them. His dad tried to reopen them.

"Every time I pushed that door, the button ... it did nothing," Bailey said.
 
He called for help, pushing the emergency call button multiple times. There was no answer.

On Monday, Nov. 23, Tri-Met determined that in Aiden's case, there were no problems with the intercom system and it was the driver who was potentially at fault. TriMet confirmed that the operator did not respond to at least four calls made by Bailey. The driver has been placed on paid administrative leave until a disciplinary meeting Wednesday morning.