URBANA — A Champaign County jury now faces just one decision when a lawsuit comes to trial next week in connection with a bus-pedestrian accident, and that's how much money to award the woman who was seriously injured when she was hit by the bus.

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, found negligent in the Feb. 25, 2015, accident in a hearing last week by Judge Michael Jones, was allowed Wednesday to withdraw its defenses to simplify issues in the trial and proceed right to the issue of money damages.

That means, in effect, that the MTD is no longer planning to go to trial attempting to prove the injured pedestrian, Patricia Marxmiller, was partially responsible for her injuries as a result of her own negligence when she was hit by the bus in a crosswalk at Logan and Walnut streets.

Jones had already ruled last week that the jury couldn't find Marxmiller, who lost both her legs in the accident, was more than half-negligent. The accident happened while Marxmiller was in a crosswalk attempting to cross Walnut Street and the bus driver was making a turn onto Walnut from Logan.

In other matters before the court Wednesday, Jones ruled on a long list of motions filed by both sides seeking to keep certain information from coming up at the trial, with some of them no longer relevant in light of the MTD's sudden decision to contest the amount of damages only.

Among what can't be brought up, on a motion by Marxmiller's lawyers — and without argument by the MTD — is any references to the fact that she was treated for leukemia and underwent a stem-cell transplant many years prior to the bus accident, and that a tumor was found on her pelvis when she was being examined for internal injuries after the accident and was treated with a hysterectomy.

The jury also won't be seeing animations or diagrams of the accident. And jurors won't be hearing references to the fact that the MTD is a taxpayer-funded transit system, or any hints that taxpayers could be footing any of the bill for money damages paid to Marxmiller.

Also, Jones ruled Marxmiller's lawyers won't be compelled to show prospective jurors a "day in the life" video they have of Marxmiller, showing what her life is now like with her injuries to see how it impacts them in the selection process — though Jones allowed for prospective jurors to see post-accident and/or injury pictures described as gruesome.

In still another ruling, Jones denied a motion by the MTD to change the location of the trial or delay it, based on a claim that Marxmiller's attorneys had unfair influence on local residents and that there has been extensive media coverage of the proceedings to date.

The lawsuit was announced by Marxmiller's attorneys soon after the accident with a press conference, but since that time neither side's attorneys or their clients have spoken to the media because there has been a gag order in place.

Jones said fault is no longer an issue in the trial, and lawyers tend to overestimate the public's awareness of the what's going on in the news, "sad as it might be."

The trial is set to begin Tuesday with jury selection, with 75 prospective jurors to be called.

Marxmiller's attorneys are calling for a jury of six, the MTD's lawyers want a jury of 12, and that has yet to be decided — though Jones told the lawyers he was leaning toward a jury of 12. Final pretrial issues are set to be decided Friday morning.