Ricardo Ureno, 19, an Anaheim man, who suffered serious injuries in an Anaheim bicycle accident as a 13-year-old when he was hit by a trash truck, has been awarded $880,000 in damages by an Orange County jury. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the jury voted 9-3 to award the judgment to Ureno. The verdict against disposal company, Taormina Industries includes $122,000 for past medical expenses and more than $65,000 for future medical bills.
The bicycle versus truck accident occurred on November 27, 2002 when Ureno was riding his bike north on Olive Street. As he was crossing the intersection of Sycamore Street, a trash truck driven by Jose Chavez made a right on Sycamore striking the boy. Ureno's attorneys, Ardalan & Associates of Sherman Oaks California, alleged negligence on the part of Chavez because he failed to come to a complete stop before making the right turn. Attorneys for the driver argued that Ureno was the one who lost control of his bicycle and caused the pedestrian accident. However, jurors found that Ureno was not at fault.
Ureno had suffered a broken pelvis in the crash, which left him unable to move and in great pain for several weeks, court records show. Six months after the crash, a blood clot caused severe swelling in his leg leaving a 10-inch surgical scar on his leg. Ureno was also being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. Apparently, the physical and emotional injuries he suffered as a result of this truck crash were so severe that he had trouble getting a job after high school. The jury awarded him $12,500 in past lost earnings and $50,000 in future earnings.
I am extremely glad that this bicycle accident victim received the compensation he deserved. Ureno's story shows us that a bicycle accident or car accident can leave a person not only with physical injuries and scars, but also serious emotional problems. That is particularly true if the accident victim is a child, which Ureno was at the time of the accident. If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries in a Southern California car accident, please do not assume that the injuries are not severe enough to seek compensation or that you will not receive any compensation for your injury accident.
SLS Consulting