FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Inside a Pajcic & Pajcic conference room in downtown Jacksonville, photos are set up around a table: wreckage, X-rays and scans. They are the images that capture the moments that changed Jo’Relle Deleston’s life.
Across the room, a crash video is paused on a TV screen, frozen just before impact.
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Deleston can’t watch it.
His attorney, Curry Pajcic, said the video can trigger Deleston’s PTSD, stemming from Deleston’s six years in the Army.
“That is the last time in Jo’Relle’s life he would ever be normal again,” Pajcic said, pointing at the frame on the TV.
Three and a half years after that frame, a Flagler County jury issued an $8.64 million verdict Tuesday against the defendant and TDC Transportation Inc.
But for Deleston, the crash continues to affect how he drives, works and lives day to day.
What attorneys say happened
Pajcic said the crash happened Oct. 5, 2022, about a mile south of the Palm Coast exit on Interstate 95.
The dashcam video shows a truck passing Deleston, drifting off the road, then slamming back into him — flipping Deleston’s truck several times.
The video also shows strangers stopping and running across the highway to help.
“Thank God for good Samaritans,” Pajcic said.
Deleston said the memories are difficult to think about.
“I try my best to block it out and move forward,” Deleston said. “It was probably the worst day of my life.”
Injuries and life after the crash
Attorneys for Deleston said he suffered a broken neck and multiple injuries in the crash. They also said Deleston lost his job afterward.
Deleston said the changes have been significant and ongoing.
“It’s ever-changing,” he said. “I’m just getting used to my new norms and trying to make the most of every day.”
He said even being on the road feels different now.
“It’s like a job now,” Deleston said. “I’m a lot more alert and cautious.”
Verdict and accountability
Pajcic said the verdict is intended to hold trucking companies accountable and to send a message about safety on Florida roads.
“It sends the message that when trucking companies and reckless drivers harm Floridians, they will be held accountable and responsible for what they did,” he said.
Deleston said his focus isn’t on the money.
Instead, he said, he’s focused on recovery and on his family — his wife and their three boys.
“I probably wouldn’t have made it,” Deleston said. “I would have given up. It was a lot.”
Deleston said what comes next is about getting through each day and continuing to rebuild.
“We get my body back. We get our body and mind back,” he said. “The focus is on getting through today. Making the most of today. Not worrying about tomorrow until tomorrow gets here.”