Several years ago, a Missouri college student was hit by a van while walking back to his residence from a church service with friends. The student was reportedly thrown at least 10 feet due to the collision. He suffered severe personal injury, including brain trauma, a collapsed lung and several broken bones.
A judge recently awarded the individual $19 million for a claim that was filed against the college that owns the road where the collision took place. The college plans to appeal the decision, asserting that the plaintiff did not provide sufficient evidence regarding inadequate lighting on the road, which was cited as a causal factor in the student’s case. The college maintains that the collision was caused by the driver’s foggy windshield, as well as the fact that the students were walking on the roadway.
Liability in a personal injury claim
The attorney who represented the student observed that the college was liable due to insufficient lighting and lack of sidewalks forcing students to walk alongside traffic on the road. The student’s injuries were said to be so severe that his life has been forever changed, and he will never be able to achieve the potential he may have fulfilled had the collision not occurred. The school cites the fact that there have been no similar incidents in nearly 20 years on the same stretch of roadway as evidence that the problem was not insufficient lighting.
When severe personal injury occurs because of a collision, Missouri law allows a recovering victim to seek compensation for damages, as the student did in this case. This type of litigation is complex and difficult to prove. This is why most plaintiffs choose to rely on experienced legal representation throughout proceedings. Having an attorney to act on one’s behalf in court makes the process a lot less daunting.