An award of £6.6m in compensation for a pedestrian knocked down by a bus on a pedestrian crossing is to be made after representatives of the bus company agreed to a settlement just as the jury were being seated at the Alameda County Superior Court.
On November 3 2008, Abby Nichols (23) of Oakland, California, had just completed her day’s work at the San Francisco bagel shop in which she worked as an assistant, and began crossing the road at the junction of Telegraph Avenue and 51st Street.
Despite the green light being in her favour, a bus turned into the road, knocking Abby over, and trapping her underneath the chassis of the automobile. She was stuck beneath the bus for another 15 minutes, as the bus driver did not know how to operate the hydraulic lever, and Abby sustained a crushed hip that needed to be replaced, a broken pelvis and femur.
The bus firm, AC Transit, discovered in their own examination that the bus driver was guilty of negligence but failed to arrange a quick settlement for Abby. It was only when a case was taken that Abby – who stills undergoes physical therapy and can only walk with the aid of a cane – managed to obtain the bus injury compensation to which she was entitled.