A Kings County (Brooklyn, NY) jury recently returned a $6.1 million verdict in favor of a bicycle deliveryman involved in a motor vehicle accident on June 4, 2005. Plaintiff, Jing Xue Jiang, a 26 year-old, was struck by a vehicle driven by Jamaal Freeman at the intersection of Halsey Street and Lewis Avenue.
Jiang sued Freeman and the owners of the vehicle driven by Freeman, Dollar Rent a Car and Rental Car Finance Corp. Jiang alleged that Freeman ran a red light and that the corporate owners were vicariously liable for the driver’s actions. Plaintiff also claimed that Freeman was speeding.
Plaintiff sustained multiple injuries including a fracture of his C4 vertebra; fractures of the transverse processes of his T12, L1, L2 and L3 vertebrae; open fractures of his left leg’s fibula and tibia; open fractures of his right forearm’s radius and ulna bones; a concussion and a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Jiang was placed in an ambulance, and transported to Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn where he remained for 14 days. He then underwent four weeks of physical therapy and in-home nursing care. He could not work during the six months following the accident. Plaintiff’s expert neuropsychologist testified that plaintiff suffers residual impairment of his cognitive functions as a result of the subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Defendant Freeman did not appear during the trial. Defense counsel acknowledged Freeman’s negligence, but contended that Jiang could have avoided the collision. The jury found the defendant’s 100% responsible for the accident and returned a $6.1 million verdict in favor of plaintiff.
Website Resource:
VerdictSearch, Jiang v. Dollar Rent a Car, Inc., July 30, 2010.