A year after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, her family is suing the city and a security company, arguing that her death was about as preventable as a hangover after a tequila night. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Mecklenburg County superior court, alleges that the city and Professional Security Services - the folks tasked with keeping Charlotte Area Transit System riders safe - failed to implement adequate protections despite being well aware of the violent crime lurking around the municipal light rail line.

Frank Scott Haskell, Zarutska’s uncle, filed the suit, claiming the defendants knew about safety and crime concerns before the attack. According to the Charlotte Observer, the lawsuit states that the city and security company 'were responsible for protecting lawful passengers from known and foreseeable danger' and that 'their failures caused the fatal stabbing.' It points to inadequate fare enforcement and security staffing, noting that simple measures like turnstiles or proper staffing - which the city allegedly had the money for - could have saved her life.

The family seeks monetary damages and hopes the legal action will force security upgrades across the light rail system. The lawsuit lands exactly one year after Zarutska was killed while riding home from work. Decarlos Brown Jr was charged in her death, but in June, a judge ruled him incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness.

Zarutska had fled war-torn Ukraine, where she'd been living in a bomb shelter, hoping to find safety in the US. Relatives described her as determined to build a safer life - a plan that tragically didn't pan out.

Her killing became a flashpoint in the national debate over violent crime, mental illness, and transit safety, with the Trump administration and Republican allies claiming it showed Democratic-led cities were failing their residents. In September, North Carolina passed 'Iryna’s Law,' which redefined certain violent offenses, imposed bail limits, and ended cashless bond releases in some cases - because nothing says 'honoring a victim' like a legislative crackdown.

So, one year later, the family is seeking justice in court, and the city is left to ponder whether a few turnstiles would have been cheaper than a lawsuit.