In her early 20s and working full time, our client was planning big things: law school, a career, a future unbounded. But all of that had to be put on hold when she suffered debilitating injuries after being struck by a city bus, its wheels actually running over her body. When we took the case, it seemed clear-cut: a pedestrian in a crosswalk, right where she should be; a bus driver who never saw her, but should have; severe, permanent injuries, including many fractures to the leg and pelvis and difficulty walking. The city, however, wasn’t willing to accept responsibility. Instead it blamed the victim, alleging that she had run out in front of the bus, and was 18 feet out of the crosswalk. There was just one problem with that version of the story: It never happened.
We found witnesses that said our client was, in fact, within the crosswalk when the accident occurred. Then we used the deposition of the bus driver himself, who conceded that he never saw the victim. It was enough to show the city what really happened that day – a driver negligently failing to keep a proper lookout when making a turn. The result: a $4 million settlement. That gave our client – who ultimately did go on to law school – proper redress, and closure.
