By Rick Shapiro, Virginia Brain Injury Attorney

A bike rider in Arlington, Virginia (VA), was hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result. This bike rider did everything right. He had a greenlight and was within a crosswalk. He even had a helmet on. Unfortunately,  following all the rules wasn’t enough to prevent a careless driver from turning right on red while looking left on a street featuring two signs that clearly prohibit right turns on red.

This terrible accident highlights just how under the radar a brain injury can be. When the bike rider was initially treated at the hospital, no one noticed brain damage and he was released free and clear. But as time went on, the victim noticed problems with memory, cognitive function, and frequent headaches. His co-workers started to notice and even had to assist him in ways they never had before the bike accident.

Six weeks went by before the victim was finally diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. The victim had to go on disability from his job since the demands of his position were simply too much given his brain damage.

The victim wisely sought legal counsel and a personal injury claim was filed on his behalf. The defendant tried to argue that the victim did not actually suffer a brain injury since he continued to work and receive a salary. This was not a strong argument and, during mediation, a $3 million settlement was reached. Congratulations to the victim’s attorneys — Robert Hall, Steven Frei, and Peter Everett — for achieving this settlement.

Our firm fully appreciates the challenges associated with traumatic brain injury claims. For example, we represented an injured gas station store worker who suffered a brain injury after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and crashed into his store. It took a while, but we were able to secure a $46 million jury verdict (raised to $60 million with interest), which is the largest traumatic brain injury verdict in Virginia history.

To learn more about traumatic brain injuries, take a look at this article written by a Virginia brain injury lawyer.

PA

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) but we also have an office in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

PA