Palm Beach County OKs $200,000 to estate of Boca woman, 94, killed by Palm Tran van

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·2 min read
11

WEST PALM BEACH — Palm Beach County has agreed to pay $200,000 to the estate of a 94-year-old woman who died in August 2021 when a Palm Tran Connection van struck her as she walked across Glades Road near State Road 7.

Shirley Goldberg, who lived nearby, died at Delray Medical Center, where paramedics took her following the crash outside the Westwinds of Boca shopping plaza west of Boca Raton.

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office reports, Goldberg was in a crosswalk west of the plaza's entrance just before 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2021, when the van drove north out of the plaza, then turned west toward State Road 7 and into her path. The driver, Steffon Monroe, stopped at the scene. Goldberg died about an hour later.

Palm Tran Connection is a shared ride, door-to-door Paratransit service that provides transportation to eligible residents and visitors in Palm Beach County in compliance with the Paratransit service provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Palm Tran Connection is a shared ride, door-to-door Paratransit service that provides transportation to eligible residents and visitors in Palm Beach County in compliance with the Paratransit service provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

County commissioners, acting on a recommendation by the legal department, approved the payment at a commission meeting on Oct. 7.

The state’s sovereign immunity law capped the county’s liability at $200,000 but the estate could have then asked the Florida Legislature for additional compensation. A memo to the commission noted that an adverse verdict could have led to an award well in excess of the sovereign immunity limit, and enable the estate to pursue a claims bill in the Legislature for the full amount awarded by a jury.

“Full and final settlement is warranted as it serves the best interest of the county,” the memo said.

While a jury is free to enter a judgment against a public entity for any amount, no one can collect more than $200,000 unless the Legislature authorizes a higher payment via a claims bill. County lawyers, fearing that the estate might pursue a claims bill, recommended the $200,000 payment.

More: Boca-area woman, 94, dies in crash; struck in Glades Road crosswalk by wheelchair van

Monroe, who was never criminally charged, was sued along with the county. The lawsuit, filed in March, alleged that Monroe drove the van without keeping a proper lookout, drove too fast for pedestrian traffic conditions and took his eyes off the road while making a turn where pedestrians like Goldberg were walking. He also allegedly failed to honk the horn to warn Goldberg of the impending crash.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County OKs $200K to estate of woman killed by Palm Tran van