INVERNESS, Fla. – Janice Boulay was struck by a driver in a Massachusetts parking lot in April 2021. The crash shattered her knee, broke her hand and leg, and left her hospitalized and in rehabilitation for months.Â
Police gathered enough evidence to arrest the driver, who was charged with leaving the scene of a crash causing serious injury.
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Janice and her husband, Bob Boulay, who live in Inverness, were summoned to Massachusetts to testify in 2023. They spent more than $2,000 traveling for the first trial date, but the trial did not proceed, because the defendant did not attend.
Timeline:
The crash occurred in April 2021 in Massachusetts. The first trial date in early 2023 was derailed when the defendant failed to appear.Â
A new trial was set for May 2023, and the victims were told some travel costs might be covered, but the case was delayed again.Â
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In 2024, the defendant was picked up on unrelated charges but later released. As of November 2025, the case is scheduled for another pre-trial hearing.
What they’re saying:
Janice Boulay described the moment of the crash, saying, “So I put my hands up and yelled stop… and I felt her running over my leg.”Â
She added that years of uncertainty have taken a toll.Â
“Eventually, we’re going to be like, ‘We don’t have the money,’” she said. “Like, I don’t know, I just feel forgotten.”
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Her husband, Bob Boulay, expressed frustration with the justice system.Â
“She should have been held to stand trial for my wife’s crimes,” he said. “Anyone sees this case, and they’d be like, this is going on the fifth year now. You cannot make it up.”
The other side:
FOX 13 requested an interview with the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s office declined to comment on a pending case but confirmed that the case is proceeding with pre-trial hearings and conferences.Â
Why you should care:
Victims of violent crimes can be left waiting years for justice while bearing financial and emotional costs. The Boulays’ challenges highlight the strain that delayed trials place on victims who have already suffered life-changing injuries.
By the numbers:
The Boulays spent more than $2,000 out of pocket traveling to Massachusetts for a trial that never happened. The defendant’s bail — set at just $500 — is a fraction of what the couple has already paid.Â
More than four years after the hit-and-run, the case still has not gone to trial.
The Source: The reporting an investigation for this story was done by FOX 13’s Chief Investigator Craig Patrick. It includes first-hand accounts from Janice and Bob Boulay of Inverness, court records from Bristol County, Massachusetts and a response from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, declining to comment on pending cases.Â