Crosswalks are put in place to give pedestrians a safe place to cross the street and to warn drivers of people potentially crossing the street. One woman now has a brain injury after being hit by a New Jersey Transit bus in a crosswalk. The woman was halfway across the street when a bus hit her, pinning her underneath the vehicle. This week a settlement was approved for her lawsuit by the Superior Court in Passaic County for $7.85 million.
The woman’s legs were run over, resulting in one leg being amputated and part of her other foot being removed. Her head hit the pavement, knocking her unconscious. After weeks of being in the hospital and much rehabilitation, she is aware of her surroundings, but cannot speak and has to be fed through a tube.
Because of a professional driver’s negligence, this woman will now likely need care and assistance even for everyday tasks for the rest of her life. She spent 18 days on a ventilator to help her breath, and weeks in intensive care, undergoing many surgeries to try to repair her injuries.
She is said to have loved crafts, cooking and mending clothes. After her traumatic brain injury, doctors worked to repair fractured cheekbones by inserting many metal circles in her face. The woman’s quality of life will suffer because of this injury, and she will need medical care for the rest of her life. Although the compensation she will receive won’t undo the damage, it can help secure her care for years to come.
Source: NJ.com, “Woman badly hurt by NJ Transit bus wins $7.85M in lawsuit settlement, lawyer says,” Mike Frassinelli, Jan. 7, 2012
