Earlier this year, a blind and hearing-impaired woman had an asthma attack on a Jacksonville Transportation
Authority paratransit bus, with no driver there to help her.
The surveillance video of Tracie Inman’s terrifying moments are tied to a lawsuit against JTA.
In the lawsuit, Inman and another deaf and blind woman, Maria Dykman, claim JTA is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by failing to make proper accommodations for disabled riders.
“I want to feel safe. It’s very overwhelming. Sometimes, I feel like I’m going to cry and I have to hold it back,” said Dykman with the help of a translator.
Dykman relies on tactile American Sign Language, meaning she has to touch the person’s hands while they communicate with sign language.
Dykman said it’s impossible for her to make the required phone call to request a ride on JTA’s paratransit system JTA Connexion.
“I need to be able to email or text them, so when I need them to come, they come,” Dykman said through the translator.
Disabled riders pay a fare for JTA Connexion to pick them up at a specific location and take them where they need to go.
Once they’re on the bus, the lawsuit said the drivers don’t know how to communicate with Dykman and Inman.
As Inman was having an asthma attack on a JTA Connexion bus earlier this year, the driver got out of the vehicle to socialize with other drivers.
After several minutes, Inman called her husband for help.
She had no idea the driver was right outside the bus.
JTA would not answer Action News Jax’s questions on camera, but sent a statement saying “the bus operator followed standard protocols” and calling the video “a desperate attempt to gain leverage.”
Action News Jax asked Dykman and Inman’s attorney Sharon Caserta, who’s with the law firm Morgan &
Morgan, whether she hoped media attention would cause JTA to settle instead of going all the way to trial.
“Well, I wouldn’t say – I think what’s important to us is that people become aware of the issues,” said Caserta.
“It’s very important. They can’t ignore this,” said Dykman.
Here is the full statement JTA sent Action News Jax:
<br/> <em>"JTA's Connexion paratransit service strives to deliver the best possible service for people with disabilities who are unable to use our regular, fixed-route bus service. Connexion service is not a medical transport and operators are not trained to deliver related care. </em>
<em>Regarding the customer's medical issue shown in the April 25, 2017 video, the bus operator followed standard protocols. Unfortunately, the passenger became distressed when the operator stepped out of the vehicle. </em>
<em>Upon returning and finding the customer in distress, the operator contacted dispatch to obtain emergency services. In addition, JTA's paratransit contractor, MV Transportation, provided additional operator training. </em>
<em>This incident has no connection to the lawsuit filed by Tracie Inman alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The decision by the plaintiff's attorney to share the video of the April 25, 2017 incident with the media shows a desperate attempt to gain leverage. </em>
<em>The suit, which alleges that JTA provides inadequate access to persons with disabilities, is without merit. </em>
<em>JTA is in compliance with the ADA and will continue to vigorously defend itself against frivolous lawsuits and protect taxpayers' dollars."</em>