On Dec. 12, a settlement agreement was reached between Ohio State University and a student who was seriously injured after being hit by a university contractor’s dump truck in September 2012. According to the suit that was filed against OSU, the student was traveling on his bicycle to class when the dump truck struck him near the construction site’s entrance along Woodruff Avenue.
As a result of the accident, the student suffered serious injuries to his pelvis and spine, and he also lost his right leg. He and several of his family members filed a suit against the university, the dump truck driver and 10 contractors who were hired by OSU. The lawsuit alleged that all parties failed to take the necessary precautions to safely protect students in an area that was densely packed. Additionally, the suit claimed that the crash was foreseeable and that OSU did not take preventative measures in order to avoid an accident.
In the settlement, the university agreed to provide free undergraduate tuition and pay $500,000 to the student. The family agreed to drop all pending claims against the university and to not file any future suits in exchange for the tuition and money. The settlement also provides that no part of the agreement can be used against OSU in any future proceedings.
Anyone who has been injured in a car accident could consult with a personal injury lawyer in order to determine what the best course of legal action would be. A lawyer could review all relevant evidence of a client’s case as well as file a lawsuit against all liable parties on behalf of the victim.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch , “Ohio State to give tuition, $500,000 to student hit by dump truck“, December 20, 2014