Jury Orders Palm Beach County to Pay $478K to Woman Injured in Palm Tran Bus Accident

A woman who sustained significant injuries in a Palm Beach County bus accident was recently awarded nearly half-a-million dollars in her personal injury lawsuit.

The plaintiff in the civil case is a 26-year-old female who was riding a Palm Tran bus on February 5, 2015, when the driver suddenly accelerated. The woman had not yet sat down in her seat when the driver pressed the gas, causing her to fall to the floor hard. The slip and fall accident resulted in the woman injuring her back and cutting her knee.

The woman later filed a personal injury suit against Palm Beach County, which operates the Palm Tran bus service. The plaintiff’s attorney in the case argued that Palm Tran failed to adequately train its drivers to wait until passengers were seated before hitting the gas. The county’s inability to do this, said the lawyer, was a byproduct of its prioritization of punctuality over safety.

At the conclusion of the civil trial, the jury deliberated and then rendered a verdict in favor of the accident victim. The jury ultimately decided that Palm Beach County should have to pay $478,000 in damages because the county was 55 percent responsible for the slip and fall accident. However, sovereign immunity law in Florida placing a cap of $200,000 on the total amount of damages that a governmental agency can be required to pay.

For additional information, check out the Sun Sentinel article, “Jury Awards $478K to Woman Injured in Palm Trans Bus Fall.”

If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, bus accident, or slip and fall accident in Florida, you need a qualified personal injury attorney on your side. The experienced auto accident and personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Russ E. Robbins, P.A. will help you get compensated for your injuries. Contact us anytime to schedule a free consultation.

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