$5.5M Settlement to Student Severely Injured in School Crosswalk

A young woman who was severely injured in December 2012 in Bremerton, Wash., when she was struck by a vehicle in a school crosswalk as she walked to her high school for classes will receive a $5.5 million settlement to compensate her for her injuries.

The victim. Regina Monzon, was 17 years old on Dec. 12, 2012, when she was struck by a vehicle in a poorly lit crosswalk in a school zone on her way to class at Olympic High School in Bremerton, according to a Feb. 16 story by the Kitsap County Daily News. Monzon permanently lost all of her hair when it was caught on the vehicle’s driveshaft under the car and she suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash, the story reported. She was a junior in the school at the time of the crash.

The county should have installed and maintained adequate lighting in the crossing area, her attorneys argued.

Monzon’s brother, James, who was walking with her to the school, will receive a $500,000 settlement to compensate him for post-traumatic stress disorder he has suffered since he saw his sister become injured, the story reported. As part of the overall settlement, the county will also install an additional street light at the crosswalk within three months, the paper stated.

The driver of the car which struck the girl was ticketed for second-degree negligent driving and reached a $100,000 settlement with the victim, the story continued.

Another pedestrian had been struck in the same crosswalk in January 2009, according to the paper. “Several complaints to the county public works department between 2009 and 2012 raised concerns about student pedestrian safety” on their way to and from the school, the story reported.

Photo credit: iStockphoto.com/courtneyk

Monzon’s brain injury from the incident is permanent, according to the report. She graduated from Olympic High School in 2013 with assistance and she will require accommodations to earn a degree so she can continue her plans to work with children in the future, the story states. She also suffers from PTSD and panic attacks since the incident.

The settlement was reached five weeks into the trial for the case, according to a report by KING 5 News.

These kinds of tragic legal cases occur every day when innocent victims are severely hurt or killed in vehicle crashes through no fault of their own due to the actions, inattentiveness or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.

We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a vehicle incident or accident anywhere in the United States.

We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.

Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.

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