Bus Driver Settles for $5 Million During Trial

Michael Phelan

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 375

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A bus driver who lost a leg in a tractor trailer truck crash in Norther Virginia settled his case for $5 million while a Richmond Circuit Court jury was deliberating the case last Tuesday. The driver was driving students from West Virginia to Disney World when a tractor-trailer pulled from the right lane of U.S. 17 in front of the bus, which was in the left lane. the bus driver did not have time to stop, so he unsuccessfully attempted to swerve right into the space the tractor-trailer truck had vacated.

The bus driver lost his lower left leg and foot and suffered a shattered right hip and knee. He was represented at trial by three great Virginia trial lawyers: Rob Stoney, Peter Everette, and Mark Towery. The defense contended that the bus driver was contributorily negligent. Congratulations to Messrs. Stoney, Everrette, and Towery for trying a compelling case.

Word association studies show that the word most Americans associate with health is "mobility." The bus driver's lawyers showed the jury that, notwithstanding the driver's determination to get back to work with his artificial leg, the driver would face a lifetime of mobility challenges due to the driver's inability to work when snow and ice is on the ground, his difficulty walking on uneven terrain, and his need for future hip and knee replacements.