$4.9M Settlement for Negligent Abandonment on Bus

$4.9 million paid to a 29-year-old Virginia man left abandoned in the bathroom of a New York-bound private bus. In this unusual case, the plaintiff entered the sole bathroom of the bus before the bus left its origination point in Washington, D.C., and thereafter collapsed inside the stall, apparently suffering cardiac arrest. Patrons complained to the driver that they couldn’t enter the stall, and rather than use a special key to open the bathroom door, he took the bathroom out of service, making extra rest stops for the passengers along the way. Overall, because the driver never examined the bathroom, the plaintiff was not found for more than 12 hours, during which time his legs had developed compartment syndrome and required amputation. Our office retained a liability expert, a physiatrist, a life care planner, a psychiatrist, and a videographer to document “a day in the life” of the plaintiff. We also retained a Supplemental Needs Trust expert and lien expert to maximize the value of the award our client could take home. Of the $3 million in medical bills, in the end, the plaintiff was only responsible for $50,000.