Auto Accident - Head Injury - Pedestrian Injuries
William Hepner obtained a $225,000 award for a now 15 year-old girl who was struck by a car as she was crossing Union Turnpike in Queens. This was an arbitration under the Supplementary Underinsured Motorist provision of the girl’s mother’s insurance policy.
The driver of the car claimed that the plaintiff crossed in the middle of the street, against the traffic light, and ran into the side of her car. Despite the fact that the plaintiff had no memory of the accident, due to the head injury she sustained in the collision, Bill proved that plaintiff had a green light and was hit while she was in the cross-walk. To do this, Bill produced the plaintiff’s friend from Arizona, who was a witness to the accident, and an EMS worker from the New York City Fire Department. The Arbitrator found the driver 100% at fault.
The young girl sustained a skull fracture and a bruise to her brain. Although she was at risk for seizures for a period of time after the accident, she made an excellent recovery, missed no time from school, and returned to full activities within four months of the accident. She gets occasional headaches and is more at risk of having a seizure during a future pregnancy than a person who never had a skull fracture.