Bicyclist Receives a $28 Million Settlement In A Personal Injury Lawsuit Against Valet Driver
Posted: Monday, December 12th, 2016 at 1:45 am
A Seattle jury ruled against Standard Parking in a $28 million settlement after their valet driver hit and permanently injured a Seattle bicyclist. The collision occured when the valet driver used an illegal route to return vehicles and parked off-premises in order to maximize his wages. The Seattle jury also fined Standard Parking because they knew their drivers had been regularly using illegal shortcut routes. Standard Parking turned a blind eye despite numerous complaints until it was noticed by the court due to the bicyclist accident.
Thyce Colyn, the plaintiff, once an avid bicyclist who has logged more than 200,000 miles, is now forced to completely withdraw from all lower body movements due to his injuries. In October 2012, Mr. Colyn was taking 8th Avenue home by the Convention Center when he was hit by Taylor Warn. When the accident occured Taylor Warn, a valet driver, was illegally taking the one-way lane without signaling the on-comers of his arrival. Immediately after the accident, Mr. Colyn was admitted to the hospital where he was treated for traumatic brain injury, a shattered hip, and other serious injuries to his abdomen, head, shoulder, back, ribs and pelvis. Although, Thyce Colyn has already undergone 3 different surgeries, and 5 more are still pending, the greatest concern is that Mr. Colyn has little to no chances of regaining his complete foot-control.
Mr. Colyn’s attorney David Beninger states Standard Parking didn’t only ignore its drivers violation of city laws, but it dangerously let it all happen even after receiving complaints, which is evidence of institutional negligence. According to official court documents, in order to increase profits Standard Parking redirected vehicles for the Grand Hyatt Hotel to Olive8 Garage, a third of a mile away from the hotel. As a result, valets were under pressure to return the vehicles quickly leading to illegal shortcuts, violation of street lights and other traffic laws.
Seattle traffic laws stress on drivers that they must always turn into the nearest lane, signaling themselves 100-feet before they can change the lane again. The valet route required numerous maneuvers that were illegal and endanger both pedestrians and driver’s safety. As a result of Taylor Warns collision with Thyce Colyn, the jury’s verdict puts the financial responsibility on Standard Parking instead of a simple traffic ticket.
Bookmark This Article:
| del.icio.us: 
|
Digg: |
Technorati:
|
Newsvine: 
|
Reddit: 
|
Furl: 
|
|
| Stumble Upon: 
|
Yahoo!: |
Google:
|