PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A family from South Africa is turning to 8 On Your Side wanting the City of Clearwater to improve pedestrian safety.
It comes after their 20-year-old brother was left severely injured after being struck by car while crossing the intersection of Gulf to Bay Boulevard and U.S. 19 in May of 2019.
The family of Max Giannikos said the pedestrian signal malfunctioned before he was hit by a car. His injuries are so severe that he’s unable to finish high school and will never be able to drive. Max’s family wants to see the City of Clearwater improve safety measures for all pedestrians.
“My daughter had passed away the year before, so we needed something happy, so my therapist told me to plan something big and we did — to go to Florida,” said Alexia Vieira, Max’s sister. “No one expected this to happen to have him horrifically injured so soon after that.”
Vieira’s family is from Cape Town, South Africa. She says her family’s vacation to Clearwater was supposed to bring some relief to their pain, but instead it only caused more tragedy.
“We got to the intersection, the button wasn’t working for the traffic lights, so we decided to try cross and try a different traffic light,” said Vieira. “We did and it also wasn’t working.”
Vieria said they then waited for the traffic lights to turn red at the intersection of Gulf to Bay Boulevard and U.S. 19 and attempted to cross.
“He was hit by a car,” said Vieira. “It was one of the most horrific days of my life.”
Max Giannikos was only 16 at the time. He was left with fractures, a traumatic brain injury and broken bones.
“We only tried the case on was the City at fault and so with the jury ended up coming back with that, Max was 55% at fault and the City of Clearwater was 45% at fault,” said attorney Chris Waggener.
Waggener said that means Max could receive 45% of the $38 million that he was awarded. But the legal process will continue to play out for Max to receive those funds. But for the Giannikos family, it’s not just about being able to provide for his future care.
“I want justice for the people that have to cross that road on a daily basis,” said Vieira. “There’s a bus stop that’s very close and I think that about that all the time. People that have to cross and you risk your life, and we didn’t know that it was that dangerous. We were tourist. We were not aware.”
Consumer affairs found U.S. 19 to be the deadliest road in Pinellas County with 94 deaths since 2020.
8 On Your Side reached out to the City of Clearwater. Joelle Castelli, Director of Public Communications, wrote, “the jury found the plaintiff primarily at fault for his own injuries. “The city’s financial exposure, if any is limited to $200k.”
“It shouldn’t have happened, it has happened, and they need to make right,” said Roxanne Giannikos.
Giannikos says it’s a miracle her son is alive.
“Maybe they could put some system in place reporting system if a light is broken,” she said. “You can press a button to report it.”
The Giannikos family had to uproot their lives from South Africa and have been living in Pinellas County ever since the incident. They are thankful to the Ronald Macdonald House for proving them temporary housing.
