Pedestrians can suffer devastating injuries in car accidents because they have no protection against them. This is what happened to one Atlanta woman in 2008. Unfortunately, in this case, her harm was allegedly caused by authorities in our very state.
According to reports, the woman stepped off a curb onto Sylvan Road and was struck by a car. The car had been stolen and the driver was fleeing police. In fact, the high-speed pursuit ended just blocks away from the pedestrian accident when the driver of the stolen car crashed and was killed.
The woman was taken to a local medical center. She says the accident caused serious injury that will last for the rest of her life. To this day, she still has visible scars on her face, arms and legs. She also says that she suffers from severe headaches and neck pain and cannot sleep at night.
After the accident, the woman was unable to work and had no way to pay her medical expenses. She decided to sue the city of Atlanta, claiming that her injuries were caused by the recklessness of the police.
Four long years of legal battling landed her a proposed settlement of $475,000. However, the settlement had to be approved by the city council, who voted against it.
With the opposing vote, the city has offered her a new settlement for $375,000. The woman says that after paying her medical bills, she would have nothing left. For this reason, she wants to return to court.
Georgia residents should know that reckless driving includes things such as speeding, improper lane changes and improper passing. It is often difficult to determine is at fault in an auto accident, but an attorney can look at police reports and traffic laws and speak to witnesses of the accident to determine whether liability can be assigned.
Source: WSBTV.com, “Atlanta backs off $475K settlement with crash victim,” Aug. 8, 2012