LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Cycling and public transportation advocate Jackie Green is suing the Transit Authority of River City, claiming he was injured when a bus driver struck him while he rode his bicycle last fall.
Green, who has made three unsuccessful bids for Louisville mayor and served on Mayor Craig Greenberg’s transition team, alleges that TARC and a driver committed a “series of reckless and negligent actions” that led to the crash on Bardstown Road on November 16, 2022.
The lawsuit filed June 21 in Jefferson Circuit Court says driver David Bolin “spent the minutes immediately preceding the collision harassing” Green and sounded his horn as he was passing – “when it served no purpose other than to harass and startle” Green.
Among other claims, the suit alleges that TARC failed to properly train, monitor and/or supervisor the driver and accuses the organization and Bolin of “negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, and intent” in causing Green’s injuries.
A TARC bus drives down W. Broadway. (WDRB Photo)
The transit agency and Bolin are named as defendants in the lawsuit; neither has yet entered a response, according to online court records. Green’s attorneys are seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.
TARC doesn’t comment on active litigation, spokesman Alex Posorske said.
Green, the manager of the Bike Couriers Bike Shop, ran as a nonpartisan candidate for Louisville mayor in 2010, 2014 and 2018. He was a critic of then-Mayor Greg Fischer’s rollout of separate on-street bike lanes during his 2018 bid for mayor as an independent and has challenged TARC’s approach to rapid bus routes.
His current advocacy focuses on climate issues, sustainability and public transportation. He continues to work with TARC, including a planned discussion this week about its rider training program, according to an email newsletter.
Green said in an interview that he doesn’t expect his relationship with TARC to change even as he is suing the agency. “This is not about TARC,” he said. “This is about irresponsible motor vehicle operation.”
The crash occurred as Green was returning from the initial meeting of Greenberg’s transition team, he said, near the intersection of Bardstown Road and Cherokee Parkway. Since then, Green said he has undergone four surgeries – one on his wrist, two on his elbow and one his shoulder.
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