VA Jury Awards $8M To Woman After Being Hit By GRTC Bus

A Richmond, Virginia jury awarded a 34-year-old pedestrian $8 million – the full damages award she sought – after a Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) bus hit her while crossing the street and leaving her with spinal, shoulder, hip, and pelvic injuries that will affect her for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, this is not the first accident involving a GRTC bus.

$8M Virginia personal injury award

Richmond Virginia resident Meikiu Lo was in the wrong place at the wrong time. According to news reports, Lo, a research librarian at the Library of Virginia, was crossing a street in Richmond when a GRTC bus hit her.

She suffered spinal and shoulder damage and multiple hip and pelvic fractures that will force her to undergo multiple surgeries in the next 15 years. She also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the bus accident.

She hired a Virginia injury attorney and filed a lawsuit against the GRTC alleging that the bus driver, who has since been fired, was negligent. Although GRTC offered to settle the case for $1.8 million, Lo and her attorney took the case to trial where a jury awarded her the full amount of damages she requested – $8 million.

Part of the reason that she suffers from continuing PTSD is that another GRTC bus accident recently occurred that killed a pedestrian.

GRTC bus accident kills pedestrian

A recent GRTC bus accident that killed a 55-year-old Richmond woman has the GRTC bus driver facing a hearing on reckless driving and, although a wrongful death lawsuit has not yet been filed against the transit company, it is highly likely that one will in the very near future.

News of this most recent death affected Lo in a way that she would have never imagined as the anxiety she felt about her own accident was renewed after she heard about the latest GRTC tragedy.

Transit accidents are simply a fact of life. However, whether the bus, train, or taxi driver acted recklessly or not, injured victims are entitled to be compensated for their injuries.

Sometimes those injuries are physical, other times they are emotional and in most cases, they are a combination of the two.

If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of another, contact an experienced injury lawyer in your state to discuss your situation, evaluate your options and find out whether you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries.