Pedestrian's husband seeks damages

The husband of Jo Schatterman, the pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Gulf of Mexico Drive, has filed a formal notice of a claim against the town, Sarasota County, state of Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation for the “failure to provide a safe place to cross Gulf of Mexico Drive at the 2200 block despite having a designated bus stop on the east side of the road.”

Thomas Schatterman, of Elk Grove Village, Ill., seeks damages in excess of $200,000, according to the notice sent by his attorney, Gregg Silverstein, of Aventura.

The letter describes the area as “poorly lit and there is no crosswalk available for pedestrians to cross.”

Town Attorney David Persson wrote in a letter to the Longboat Key Town Commission earlier this week that the notice has been forwarded to the town’s insurance carrier, which will afford a defense and provide coverage in case of a lawsuit.

The crash occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27, when Schatterman, 73, and her sister, Myra Sandler, were returning from St. Armands Circle on the trolley when they attempted to cross Gulf of Mexico Drive to return to Sandler’s unit at the Islander Club. Schatterman was struck by a sport utility vehicle driven by Petar Sibinkic, of Sarasota. Schatterman died at the scene.

Sandler told police that because of heavy traffic, she and Schatterman waited until the left side of the road was clear, walked into the middle lane and waited until they thought they could cross the rest of the road. A witness described the area as “very dark” at the time of the crash.

FDOT officials will most likely attend the commission’s regular workshop in May to discuss measures to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, including the possibility of additional crosswalks on Gulf of Mexico Drive.