Potential consequences following a May 12 pedestrian crash in Holmes Beach that left one person dead may hinge on a contested ticket.
Bradenton city administrator Rob Perry told The Islander July 17 that the city opened an administrative review of the incident, which involves Bradenton Fire Department driver/engineer Michael Ritchie, 43.
Ritchie struck pedestrians Deborah and Miriam Trotter with his 2018 GMC 2500 while they were using a crosswalk with an active signal on Gulf Drive between S&S Plaza and the defunct Wells Fargo building.
The pedestrians were taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton, where Deborah Trotter, 65, of Holmes Beach, was treated and released the same day.
Her mother, Miriam Trotter, 86, of Maryland, suffered critical injuries and died May 17.
Ritchie was not arrested and was not charged with a criminal offense.
However, Ritchie was issued a $166 traffic citation for failing to yield to pedestrians at an intersection with a traffic control device.
Attorney David Haenel, of Sarasota-based The Law Place, May 22 filed a plea of not guilty and requested a trial by county court judge on behalf of his client, Ritchie.
Holmes Beach police officer Alexander Hurt, who issued the citation, Deborah Trotter and two witnesses at the scene were subpoenaed by the court to appear at a traffic infraction hearing in August.
In the meantime, Perry said the city of Bradenton’s administrative review was examining the “tragic” incident “from both an HR perspective as well as a perspective of public safety, management and fitness for duty.”
Certain public employees, like Ritchie, have a property interest/right in their employment and are entitled due process before they can be terminated.
Perry said city staff is reviewing state law about how off-duty driving incidents impact minimum employment qualifications.
“We have to ensure that we balance the interest of the city as it relates to having employees that carefully operate the equipment with the nature of any sort of off-duty incident that may question that or provide a basis to somehow affect minimum qualifications,” Perry said.
Bradenton won’t make much progress on its administrative review until Ritchie’s infraction challenge is resolved in court.
“We’re going to have to let that play out,” Perry said. “Everybody is presumed innocent and we’ve got to see what the court does on that before we can even consider anything else.”
“Otherwise, the employee has a good driving record. There have been no prior incidents. It was off duty. So, we’re going to continue to monitor the situation and see where it plays out and consider the totality of the circumstances.”
A traffic infraction hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
