The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has paid more than $6 million over three years to compensate for injuries and deaths caused by buses and trains, records show.

Two cases in which buses made left turns and struck people in crosswalks accounted for more than half the payments -- $3.8 million. And the payouts came as the financially struggling agency cut bus routes and raised fares to remain solvent.

What have the biggest accidents cost?

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has spent sums ranging from $300 to $2.15 million to settle lawsuits over the past three years. Here is a breakdown of the biggest cases:

$2.15 million for a 2005 accident in which a bus making a left turn struck a woman in a crosswalk on East 13th Street. The woman suffered a fractured skull and brain injury. The bus driver was on probation at the time for talking on a cell phone while driving. She had had two prior accidents over three years and was driving under a suspended license for not having insurance, according to court documents. The driver was fired, and RTA settled the case in 2008.

$1.8 million for a 2008 accident in which a bus making a left turn struck a man crossing West Prospect Avenue. The man died three days later. The bus driver was fired.

$200,000 for a 2006 accident in which a man claimed the side mirror of a bus nearly severed his raised left arm as he waited at a bus stop at East 93rd Street and Kinsman Road. Court documents report that the man was drunk at the time. An employee at a nearby gas station reported seeing the bus jump a curb and hit the man but did not call police. Police and RTA found no evidence that the bus struck the man. A consulting firm hired by RTA to investigate concluded that a bus mirror could not have clipped the man's arm. The firm reported that the man probably passed out in the street and a vehicle ran over his arm.

$185,000 for a 2006 accident in which a bus ran a red light and struck a woman crossing East Ninth Street. The blow threw the woman 10 feet and shattered her femur. The case file did not say whether the bus driver was disciplined.

$150,000 for a 2006 accident in which a bus making a left turn struck a bicyclist riding in a crosswalk on Payne Avenue. The cyclist suffered fractures to his left leg that required plates and screws. The bus driver was fired.

$109,800 for a 2003 accident in which a bus rear-ended a taxi stopped at a red light. The taxi driver suffered injuries to his right shoulder, neck and upper back. The bus driver remains with RTA.

$95,000 for a 2004 accident in which a train ran over and killed a vision-impaired man who either fell or was pushed off a rapid platform at the West Boulevard/Cudell station. The train driver remains with RTA.

$92,000 for a 2004 accident in which a woman fell out of her wheelchair as the driver of a medical-transport bus turned right. The woman broke a leg and injured her head. RTA officials said the woman's son, who rode along as an attendant, shared responsibility for the injuries. The bus driver remains with RTA.

SOURCES: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records, RTA

"Accidents unfortunately are a function of the business we are in," said Joe Calabrese, general manager of the taxpayer-subsidized transit agency. "All we can do is hire the right people, train them the best we can and eliminate those who are not safe."

RTA reports that its buses collectively travel about 70,000 miles a day and that drivers average one preventable accident for every 100,000 miles. Officials say preventable accidents range from dinging an outside mirror to striking a pedestrian.

A Plain Dealer examination of more two dozen lawsuits settled by the RTA between 2007 and 2009 found many of the injuries involved passengers falling in aisles or off their seats as trains or buses made sudden stops and starts.

A majority of the cases cost the agency less than $10,000, according to a list of payouts provided by RTA.

Accidents involving buses making left turns have been among the most deadly.

The October 2008 death of a man, who was struck while crossing West Prospect by a left-turning bus, prompted the agency to require additional driver training. A "Left Turn Blitz" program emphasized pausing before turning and scanning curbs and crosswalks for pedestrians.

Another fatal left-turn accident in March 2009 resulted in another lawsuit and a vehicular manslaughter conviction for the driver, who was found to be using her cell phone at the time.

RTA also modified buses to beep every time a turn signal is activated. Over the last three weeks, the agency has been installing a new voice alert system to replace the beeps. When a driver makes a 45-degree turn, a warning will be heard inside and outside the bus.

Many cases filed against RTA are dismissed with no money paid, said Sheryl King Benford, deputy general manager of RTA's legal division.

RTA has insurance to cover injury lawsuits and worker's compensation cases but keeps money in reserve to cover the $5 million deductible. The agency transferred $2.9 million into the reserve fund in 2008 and $3.5 million in 2009. It expects to transfer $3.7 million this year.

And RTA is not always at fault in accidents. The agency has collected a total of $716,335 in the last three years from insurance companies representing drivers whose vehicles caused damage to RTA property, Benford said.

Some people also falsely claim an injury, although that has decreased since cameras were installed on buses and trains, Calabrese said.

"It hasn't happened here, but there have been instances in other cities where a bus with 12 passengers is in an accident and 19 people file claims," he said.