Stroud

I.

BACKGROUND

On April 23, 2012, Stroud filed a complaint stating a single cause of action for negligence. She alleged that on January 19, 2011, she was a passenger on an AC Transit

1 bus and sustained “whiplash, facial injuries, bruising and permanent back damage” when the driver of the bus “slammed on the brakes” to avoid a collision. The parties stipulated to the following facts prior to trial: Stroud was a passenger on the bus, driven by Edwin Doyle Campbell, in Hayward, California. As the bus approached the intersection of Hesperian Boulevard and Cathy Way, a pickup truck stopped prior to passing through the intersection. The bus collided with the pickup truck and the driver of the truck left the scene before the police arrived. Following the collision, Stroud was transported by ambulance to Kaiser Hospital. Presentation of evidence in a jury trial commenced on April 1, 2014. Stroud’s case consisted of her own and her mother’s testimony Some hospital bills were also introduced into evidence. The defense case consisted of testimony by Campbell, a traffic collision report, and a video recorded by cameras on the bus around the time of the collision. The parties stipulated…