Julie Farris suffered severe brain injury after being struck by a trolley on the Azusa Pacific University Campus in the City of Azusa, California. At the time of the accident, Julie was riding her bicycle on the 800 Block of East Foothill Boulevard, the main roadway that links the East and West campuses.
The 800 Block was, and had been for some time, in dangerous condition. Many students struggled to travel this road numerous times a day, and were forced to weave around parked cars and congested traffic within the small usable space of the roadway. At the time of the accident, Julie had to ride her bike on the opposite side of the road, against traffic, because of the complete disorganization and lack of space on the side that went with the flow of traffic. It was at this point that she was struck by the trolley.
The City of Azusa and the University are responsible for not maintaining the dangerous condition on this widely used and important stretch of road where the accident occurred. If the city had not failed to install signals, lights, bike lanes, lane designations, barriers, cross walks, or even signs marking the defective road, then it is likely that this accident with the trolley would not have happened. Instead, the city was negligent to repair the defective roadway, leaving it as a personal injury risk to the students and commuters who travel the road daily.
Because the accident involving Julie was not the first severe or fatal accident to take place on this road, it is likely that the City of Azusa had full knowledge of the dangers there, yet did not act in a timely manner to reduce the risk. Instead, they used funds allotted to the repair of the road for another purpose, leaving travelers exposed to the personal injury risks.
Julie sustained injury to her body, shock to her nerves and nervous system, disfigurement, permanent partial and total disability, and physical impairment. This accident has completely changed her life, and she seeks damages from the City of Azusa.