Lilly Glaubach Act in Florida would require repair shops request crash reports

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·4 min read

Florida Senator Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, introduced a new bill that would require vehicle repair shops to request written crash reports from customers under certain circumstances.

The bill SB 194, cited as the “Lilly Glaubach Act,” was filed on Oct. 12 in response to the death of Lilly Glaubach, 13, in Osprey.

Glaubach was hit by a driver in a dark silver sedan while riding her bicycle in August last year, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol. The driver fled the scene and took the vehicle to a body shop in Tampa. The driver explained that a tree had fallen through their windshield at the time.

David Chang, 65, was later arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.

A memorial for Lilly Glaubach has been created at the intersection of East Bay Street and Old Venice Road in Osprey. The 13-year-old girl died last month after being hit by a car on her bike near Pine View School.
A memorial for Lilly Glaubach has been created at the intersection of East Bay Street and Old Venice Road in Osprey. The 13-year-old girl died last month after being hit by a car on her bike near Pine View School.

The new proposal will require vehicle repair shops to request crash reports from customers involved in collisions before preparing a written repair estimate.

Repair shops will be forced to prepare their own collision repair work transaction forms that must then be approved by the Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services for customers who don’t provide their own reports.

Shops will then be responsible for keeping the original copy of all completed transaction forms for at least one year after their transaction, and be responsible for providing law enforcement officials with digital copies upon request.

Violating the new law could result in shops having their registration revoked.

Here’s what to know about SB 194, also known as the Lilly Glaubach Act.

What is SB 194, the Lilly Glaubach Act?

SB 194 is a small bill that would amend Section 559.905 in Florida Statutes to require auto body repair shops to request written crash reports from customers under certain circumstances. Here’s an overview of what the bill seeks to accomplish:

  • Requires a motor vehicle repair shop to prepare a transaction form under certain circumstances.

  • Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to approve the form

  • Specifies requirements for the form

  • Requires repair shops to keep a copy of the transaction form for a specified time

  • Allows a vehicle repair shop to use certain evidence in court

  • Requires the electronic transfer of transaction forms to law enforcement by the motor vehicle repair shop under certain circumstances

  • Authorizes law enforcement to provide certain equipment to the motor vehicle repair shop

  • Specifying ownership and maintenance of the equipment

  • Specifying that the motor vehicle shop is not required to deliver transaction forms under certain circumstances

  • Allows law enforcement to request an original transaction form from the repair shop under certain circumstances

  • Requires repair shops to respond to requests within a certain time frame

  • Provides criminal penalties

  • Allows the department to revoke a repair shop’s registration under certain circumstances

What happened to Lilly Glaubach?

According to an update on Sarah Alexander's Facebook and a GoFundMe page for her family, Lilly Glaubach succumbed to her injuries after several days of hospitalization at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

"Her injuries were too extensive, and she is no longer suffering. I hardly know what to say," Alexander wrote. "She was able to save at least five lives with her organ donations as I know that's what she would have wanted.”

According to court documents, Glaubach was "forced up onto the hood and windshield of the vehicle before she came off the vehicle approximately 75 feet west of the area of the collision." A reporting trooper wrote that it was "clear any reasonable individual would know that the person riding the bicycle would be injured.”

A family photo shows Lilly Glaubach with a butterfly resting on her hand after she rescued it from the lanai at her home in Osprey.
A family photo shows Lilly Glaubach with a butterfly resting on her hand after she rescued it from the lanai at her home in Osprey.

The driver, Chang, fled the scene but was found the following day after a resident reported a suspicious vehicle matching the details and license plate information from the incident, sending photographs of the windshield and front-end damage to police.

An affidavit states Chang confessed to the crime, claiming that he initially turned around to check on Glaubach but drove off after seeing several people around her.

"David stated he knew it was wrong but was scared since he was never involved in an incident like that before," the report said.

Lilly Glaubach: 13-year-old girl succumbs to injuries 11 days after hit-and-run in Sarasota County

Read the SB 194 bill text in full

Contributors: Stephania Lugli - Sarasota Tribune

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: New Florida auto law would require repair shops request crash reports