Absent Juror Causes Mistrial in Florida Case

A mistrial has been declared in a case of a motorcycle rider who sued Orange County over a crash with a county worker.

Court officials say the jury had deliberated for seven hours on Friday and were supposed to return Monday to try to reach a verdict.

Orlando television station WFTV reports one of the jurors — a private school teacher — told the judge on Friday that she couldn’t come back. The judge dismissed her at the end of the day Friday.

The alternate juror had already been dismissed. Defense attorney David Moffett asked the judge for a mistrial.

Robert Smith’s case took five years to get to trial. He lost his leg in the 2006 crash.