WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Palm Beach County resident has filed a civil lawsuit against Palm Beach County, claiming a low-hanging steel cable across a public sidewalk near West Palm Beach caused him to crash an electric scooter and suffer multiple injuries.
The complaint, filed as Jesus Bastida v. Palm Beach County, Florida, Case No. 502026CA005481XXXAMB, was filed May 14, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. The lawsuit names Palm Beach County, Florida, described in the filing as a political subdivision of the State of Florida, as the defendant.
Bastida is represented by Marz Law, PLLC, through attorney Christopher A. Marzwanian, according to the complaint. No defense law firm is listed in the filing. The allegations are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
According to the complaint, Bastida is seeking damages exceeding $50,000, exclusive of interest, costs and attorneys’ fees. The filing says Bastida is a Palm Beach County resident over the age of 18.
The complaint says Bastida served formal written pre-suit notice on July 22, 2025, to the appropriate agencies and subdivisions, including the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, the county’s Department of Engineering and Public Works, the county’s Risk Management Division and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Risk Management. The complaint claims Palm Beach County, through its third-party administrator, acknowledged receipt of the claim and had an opportunity to investigate or resolve it.
The alleged incident happened April 20, 2023, at or near the southwest corner of Belvedere Road and Caroline Avenue in unincorporated Palm Beach County, within the Lake Belvedere Estates neighborhood. The complaint identifies the area as having a West Palm Beach mailing address.
Bastida claims he was lawfully traveling on a public sidewalk within the public right-of-way while operating an electric scooter at a low, controlled speed of about seven miles per hour. The lawsuit says the sidewalk and right-of-way were owned, controlled, maintained, permitted or operated by Palm Beach County.
As Bastida proceeded along the sidewalk, the complaint alleges, he suddenly encountered a low-hanging steel cable spanning across and obstructing the sidewalk and public right-of-way. The filing refers to it as the “Cable Hazard.”
The complaint claims the cable was not part of an active, supervised or properly marked work site. It also alleges there were no commercial vehicles, work crews, traffic-control devices, barricades, cones, warning signs or other warnings at or near the cable.
According to the complaint, Bastida perceived the cable as an immediate danger and took evasive action to avoid it. During that maneuver, he allegedly lost control of the scooter and was thrown to the ground.
The lawsuit claims Bastida suffered serious bodily injuries, including a right patella fracture and a left fifth metacarpal base fracture, along with bruising, pain and other injuries to his head, cervical spine, lower back and extremities. The complaint says he required immediate medical intervention, immobilization, surgical or orthopedic management, and prolonged physical and occupational therapy.
Bastida alleges the cable condition was not temporary or short-lived. The complaint claims historical Google Street View imagery and other publicly available aerial and street-level imagery showed utility-related conditions, work, equipment, lines, cables or related items at or near the location before the incident, including imagery dating back to at least May 2022.
The lawsuit claims Palm Beach County had actual or constructive notice of the condition and failed to inspect, repair, remove, cordon off, warn about or otherwise remediate the alleged hazard. It also claims the county had authority over the public sidewalk and right-of-way, including the ability to inspect the area, require compliance with permit conditions and require removal or remediation of hazards.
Bastida is suing under a negligence theory. He seeks compensatory damages, prejudgment and post-judgment interest, taxable costs, and other relief the court deems proper, subject to recovery limits under Florida law. He also demands a jury trial.
The original complaint, Jesus Bastida v. Palm Beach County, Florida, Case No. 502026CA005481XXXAMB, as filed May 14, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
Many injury lawsuits stem from unsafe property conditions, including slip-and-fall incidents and other hazards. Learn how these claims are typically handled in Palm Beach County courts in our explainer: How Premises Liability Lawsuits Work in Palm Beach County. Boca Post tracks civil litigation filed in Palm Beach County courts as part of its ongoing legal coverage. Readers can explore recent cases in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
