JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The husband of Jacksonville court bailiff, Cathy Adams, who was killed in a 2018 DUI crash, is opening up about the moments leading up to her death and a $30.5 million verdict from a jury.

In December 2018, the Adams family was driving back from a high school football championship game when a drunk driver, Kim Johnston, hit their SUV causing it to roll over.

Their two children were in the car. They were in high school at the time. Cathy Adams lost her life in the crash. Jack Adams suffered a broken neck and couldn’t feel most of his body. He was in a coma for days.

“You’re just living life, paying your bills, paying your taxes, being a good citizen, and all of a sudden this happens to you and you kind of get the why did this happen to us,” Jack Adams told First Coast News.

Jack Adams described his wife as a wonderful woman, who was a great mother and great wife.

“…very dedicated to everything in her life,” he said.

The couple had eloped and married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee which Jack Adams says is one of his favorite memories. The two both worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

After the crash, Jack Adams faced the challenge of recovering while also becoming a single parent to their two children.

“It was life-altering,” Jack Adams said.

In 2019, Johnston was sentenced to 15 years in prison. This month, a jury awarded the Adams family $30.5 million in a civil lawsuit. 

“It’s a very difficult thing for a jury to have to put a dollar amount on someone’s pain and suffering and what they’ve gone through,” Dennis Dore, Adams’ attorney and senior trial lawyer for offices of Ron Sholes, said. “They heard this family and they understood their pain and, they sent that message.”

“Just the verdict itself was vindication we didn’t do anything wrong,” Jack Adams added.

The two talked about the importance of using available resources to avoid drunk driving.

“If you’re not gonna think about yourself, your family, think about other families that you might impact by making that decision,” Jack Adams said.

Jack Adams stated that he forgives Johnston. The family waits for the formal judgment to be entered by the court, which will allow them to pursue payment of the awarded damages.