‘This didn’t need to happen:’ Holmes Beach family files lawsuit after mother’s death

HOLMES BEACH, Fla. - Miriam Trotter loved visiting her daughter, Deborah on Holmes Beach. 

"When we moved here she started coming for long visits. She would walk five miles a day. My mom was my best friend. She was my hero," said Deborah. 

During a visit last May Miriam, 86, signed up for an art class at the Island library. 

"We went to the crosswalk that would have put us on the right side of Marina Drive, so we only had to cross one road," she said. 

The road was Gulf Drive. 

With construction around them, the Trotters waited at the crosswalk for a signal to cross. 

"I remember pointing to it and saying okay mom we can cross now, and we stepped off the curve, I turned ever so slightly to say something to her and when I turned I saw the truck in my face hitting me," recalled Deborah.

Deborah had severe injuries, but her mother’s injuries were worse. 

Miriam died in the hospital a few days later. 

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"This shouldn’t have happened, and I never want it to happen to anybody else. It’s horrible," said Deborah. 

The Trotter family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver who hit Miriam and C Squared General Contractors saying the company did not keep their project area safe for the public. 

"She just doesn’t want this to happen to anybody else. Contractors are responsible for putting maintenance to traffic in, making sure the signalization of the lights are proper to keep people safe, it’s that simple and that’s not what happened here," said attorney Douglas McCarron with the Haggar Law Firm. 

McCarron, the family's attorney, said lights for pedestrians and drivers were not properly coordinated. 

The driver who hit them had a green light while they had the signal to cross. 

McCarron said C Squared did not post safety warning signs or alternate routes for pedestrians. 

"This is all about the construction going on not just in this area, but all throughout Florida and the contractors really need to start doing their job better," he said. 

Deborah hopes that changes as a white cross marks the place where her heart shattered. 

"She was just so happy to be here and the fact that’ll she’ll never be here in person with me to enjoy it again, I still have trouble understanding that," she said. 

C Squared did not respond to FOX 13 for comment. 

After the crash, the light sequence was changed. 

Lights now turn to red for drivers when pedestrians are crossing.