Second Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Holmes Beach Crosswalk Crash Ahead of Anniversary
HOLMES BEACH — As the second anniversary of a fatal crosswalk crash approaches, a second lawsuit has been filed by one of the victims seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
On May 7, Holmes Beach resident Deborah Trotter filed a personal injury lawsuit against six defendants, including the city of Holmes Beach, related to the May 12, 2023, crash that left her mother dead and caused her permanent injuries.
According to court documents, Trotter and her mother, 86-year-old Miriam Trotter, were walking through the crosswalk at Gulf and Marina drives when a pickup truck driven by Bradenton resident Michael Ritchie turned left from Marina Drive and struck them. Deborah Trotter sustained injuries, including partial hearing loss, tinnitus, and a permanent cranial injury. Miriam Trotter suffered irreversible brain damage, never regained consciousness, and died five days later.
The pair had a walk signal when crossing Gulf Drive. Ritchie, who had a green light but failed to yield, received only a traffic citation and faced no criminal charges.
This recent legal action follows a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Trotter in December 2023. That suit named Ritchie and Sarasota-based C-Squared CGC Inc., the city’s contractor for its city center improvement project, which included work at the intersection. The case was later amended to add Ritchie’s business, Anna Maria Landscaping & Home Services LLC, and B&E Signal & Lighting Inc., a subcontractor responsible for traffic signalization.
Although that case was set for trial on May 12, it was removed from the docket last month. A case management conference was held on May 2.
The new lawsuit introduces two additional defendants: the city of Holmes Beach and Tampa-based Vibengineering Inc. This engineering firm oversaw the planning and sequencing of signalization for the city center project. The complaint alleges both entities breached their “non-delegable duty to exercise reasonable care” and created an unsafe condition for both pedestrians and drivers near the construction zone.
Negligence is cited against all named parties except Anna Maria Landscaping, which faces a vicarious liability claim. Electronic summonses were issued to each defendant on May 7, granting them 20 days to respond to the charges. As of May 9, no hearings or additional proceedings had been scheduled.