Case Background
The legal battle between Rashad Brown Glaze and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) reached its conclusion in a Duval County Courtroom following a 2021 traffic accident that left a local pedestrian with significant physical injuries. The conflict began on a spring afternoon in Jacksonville when a routine transit route turned into a legal dispute over safety, negligence, and medical causation. Glaze, acting as a self-represented litigant for much of the process, sought accountability for an incident he claimed altered the course of his physical health and daily life.
Cause
The incident occurred on April 15, 2021, at approximately 3:12 p.m.. Michele Lewis, an employee of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, operated a city bus near the intersection of Arlington Expressway and Atlantic Boulevard. While Lewis performed her duties within the scope of her employment, the bus struck Rashad Brown Glaze as he walked within a designated pedestrian crosswalk. Following the collision, authorities cited the driver for failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian, a violation of Florida Statute 316.130(7)(c).
Injury
The impact caused immediate and severe physical trauma to Glaze's body. He suffered head trauma and sustained three distinct fractures to his right humerus, the long bone in the upper arm. Beyond the broken bones, Glaze reported ongoing pain and suffering, physical disfigurement, and a loss of his capacity to enjoy life. He also claimed that the accident aggravated health conditions he had dealt with prior to the collision. Because of the nature of the bone breaks and the head injury, Glaze asserted that his losses were permanent and would require future medical attention.
Damages Sought
Glaze filed his lawsuit seeking a judgment that exceeded $100,000 to cover the extensive costs associated with his recovery. His demands included compensation for hospital expenses, nursing care, and the mental anguish resulting from the trauma. He specifically sued under Florida statutes governing local government liabilities and insurance practices, demanding that a jury determine the full extent of the financial relief he deserved for his suffering and permanent disability.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The litigation moved through the Fourth Judicial Circuit as both sides wrestled over how much responsibility the transportation authority truly held for Glaze’s long-term condition. While the facts of the crash itself were difficult to dispute, the financial and medical aftermath became the central focus of the defense's strategy.
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Rashad Brown Glaze.
Counsel for Plaintiff(s): David Lee Ham, Jr | Jonah Michael Wolfson.
Expert for Plaintiff(s): Domenica Marcantonio | Mary Duff-Silva | Sudha Bogineni- Misra
Defendant(s): Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).
Counsel for Defendant(s): Natalie Fina Wheeler | Sonya Harrell | Brett Gordon Mereness
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority took a nuanced stance during the proceedings. In its formal response, the agency admitted that Michele Lewis was their employee and had acted within her job duties during the accident. Crucially, the JTA eventually chose not to contest the fact that they caused the accident. However, their legal team argued aggressively against the scope of the damages Glaze claimed. They contended that while the accident happened, it did not necessarily cause every medical issue Glaze reported in his lawsuit.
Claims
Glaze’s primary claim rested on a single count of negligence. He argued that the JTA had a legal duty to operate its vehicles safely and that the driver breached this duty by striking him in a crosswalk. He emphasized that the driver's citation for failing to yield the right-of-way proved the agency's liability. Glaze maintained that the physical pain in his neck and arm, along with the mental toll of the accident, directly resulted from the bus driver’s failure to maintain a proper lookout.
Defense
The JTA presented several affirmative defenses to limit the amount of money they would have to pay. Their lawyers argued that any potential payout should be reduced by "collateral sources," such as insurance payments or Medicare benefits Glaze had already received. They also claimed that Glaze failed to mitigate his damages, suggesting he did not follow all medical recommendations or seek employment to offset his financial losses.
The defense also pointed to Glaze's personal history, noting that he was involved in a subsequent accident on May 7, 2021. They argued that the injuries Glaze claimed in this lawsuit might actually have been caused or made worse by that later incident, or even by accidents that happened before the bus hit him. By highlighting these other events, the JTA sought to convince the jury that the April 15 bus accident was only responsible for a small window of Glaze’s total pain and suffering.
Jury Verdict
After considering the evidence regarding the timeline of Glaze's injuries and the impact of his subsequent accidents, the jury reached a focused decision.
On February 4, 2026, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Rashad Brown Glaze. The jury specifically addressed the damages Glaze experienced during the narrow window of time between the bus accident and his next recorded incident. They determined that for the pain and suffering related to his neck between April 15, 2021, and May 6, 2021, the total amount of damages equaled $35,000. Foreperson Aljah McGuire delivered the signed verdict to the Duval County Clerk, bringing the specific dispute over that period of the Plaintiff's recovery to a close.
Court Documents
