View Full Version : Settlement has arrived - after 3 years.


Scootch
March 7th, 2012, 10:05 AM
Sunday March 22, 2009.
Police, Paramedics were called at 6:25pm, arrived at 6:32pm.

Officer Paulo Ferreira (greatest cop I've ever met in my life) responded with his partner (with my luck they were both riders) as well as one of the paramedics who was assisting me.

I was in a parking lot (50/50 unless you sue the bastard) with a couple of friends having a coffee and a few smokes and some guys who were high out of their mind (their car wreaked of weed) and blasting music in a 2008 Toyota RAV4 flew in reverse into the parking spot where I was sitting on my bike and didn't see me in there.

Next thing I know I was looking at the bottom of his tailpipe then blacked out.
The only thing I felt was my knee cap shattering from the pressure of his car on top of my bike on top of me. Then everything went black and I woke up in a ambulance screaming of pain, blacked out again, then woke up in the emergency room with my parents freaking out (I was almost 17 at the time). Ended up talking to my best friend in the emergency room about what happened cause I was truly mind-****ed and he filled me in on everything that happened.

Series of events:

-They realized what happened
-Called my mom
-Called 911
-Punched the guy in the face (still don't know if that one is true, lol)
-Mom&Dad got there
-Cops and Paramedics got there a couple minutes after my parents
-Brother came with trailer
-Paramedics realized my shoulder was dislocated, collar bone was fractured, knee cap was shattered
-Loaded me into the ambulance (When they lifted the bike off me is when I woke up screaming and telling everyone to **** off I'm fine)
-Then I woke up in the hospital after 6 hours of surgery

And now finally all the court cases and therapy are finished, got my settlement I was out of work for 2 years because of this) and I can finally move on with my life.

To this day I still get emails from the guy who ran me over, checking up on me and asking how I'm doing. It's a nice thought and gesture, but it's unnecessary.

Riding season here I come!:thumbup:

csmith12
March 7th, 2012, 10:25 AM
Wow Laura!

It's great when you can finally put something like that in the rear view mirror. My wife and I have been waiting 2 yrs just to get a court date for what I hope to be a settlement. Maybe I will see it before I am 80yr old.

Best of luck in your future riding.

leed
March 7th, 2012, 10:37 AM
Glad to see things turned out and can be put behind you. Ride on!

eqlso
March 7th, 2012, 10:43 AM
Glad to see things worked out in the end. Did the guy ever explain what he was doing/why he did it, other than he got high and just reversed in a parking lot for shts and giggles?

Alex
March 7th, 2012, 10:46 AM
Youch! Glad you're on your way to recovery!

CZroe
March 7th, 2012, 11:41 AM
Great news, Laura! I'm glad things are finally working out. A couple questions: What kind of job did you have at that age and how did it effect your education? :)

Glad to see things worked out in the end. Did the guy ever explain what he was doing/why he did it, other than he got high and just reversed in a parking lot for shts and giggles?

People back into parking spaces for ease of departure.

Scootch
March 7th, 2012, 01:12 PM
Glad to see things worked out in the end. Did the guy ever explain what he was doing/why he did it, other than he got high and just reversed in a parking lot for shts and giggles?

Yes he did, according to him he just simply didn't see me in the parking spot and backed in, he said he had a heavy foot when he was high.

Clearly when music is blasting and you're high you don't hear a 250 horn and a bunch of guys yelling. Ah well, what's done is done.

Scootch
March 7th, 2012, 01:13 PM
Wow Laura!

It's great when you can finally put something like that in the rear view mirror. My wife and I have been waiting 2 yrs just to get a court date for what I hope to be a settlement. Maybe I will see it before I am 80yr old.

Best of luck in your future riding.

Hopefully your settlement will be as rewarding as mine is :D

Scootch
March 7th, 2012, 01:17 PM
Great news, Laura! I'm glad things are finally working out. A couple questions: What kind of job did you have at that age and how did it effect your education? :)



People back into parking spaces for ease of departure.

It didn't effect school at all, I was in highschool at the time (grade 10), I was off for a week because of heavy meds, then I just sucked it up and went to school everyday in crutches, arm sling and a neck brace. If for whatever reason I couldn't make it because of a appointment or anything I had someone bring my assignments home.

I was so into proving a point about it doesn't matter what happens school comes first that I over worked myself and it ended up paying off in the end. So as for school, no effect what so ever, if anything it was positive.

Work, I was driving a forklift for a friends fathers company, he understood when I said I couldn't come anymore because of it and was happy to sign any papers he needed to for me. Not complaining, $28/hour ended up going to $20/hour.

But it was still enough to pay off University for me and I'm in school right now for Criminology - hopefully some day down the line I'll be a lawyer - motorcycle accidents only. :D

CZroe
March 7th, 2012, 01:25 PM
It didn't effect school at all, I was in highschool at the time (grade 10), I was off for a week because of heavy meds, then I just sucked it up and went to school everyday in crutches, arm sling and a neck brace. If for whatever reason I couldn't make it because of a appointment or anything I had someone bring my assignments done.

I was so into proving a point about it doesn't matter what happens school comes first that I over worked myself and it ended up paying off in the end. So as for school, no effect what so ever, if anything it was positive.

Work, I was driving a forklift for a friends fathers company, he understood when I said I couldn't come anymore because of it and was happy to sign any papers he needed to for me. Not complaining, $28/hour ended up going to $20/hour.

But it was still enough to pay off University for me and I'm in school right now for Criminology - hopefully some day down the line I'll be a lawyer - motorcycle accidents only. :D
Great work ethic! Glad to see you power through it.

What's sad is: that's more money per hour than I have ever made, even converted to USD! I have driven forklifts too.

akima
March 7th, 2012, 01:28 PM
Thanks for sharing your story Laura and welcome to the forum. Great to see your back on a bike after all that. You must have courage.

Scootch
March 7th, 2012, 01:30 PM
Great work ethic! Glad to see you power through it.

What's sad is: that's more money per hour than I have ever made, even converted to USD! I have driven forklifts too.

He was paying me $10/hour more then everyone else because we made a agreement that 75% of every pay cheque would go into a locked account until I'm using it to pay for University.

So in reality I only had access to about $9/hour.

nealt
March 7th, 2012, 02:32 PM
Great you are back on the bike and all recovered. I also ride with a young girl who at 16 was airlifted off of Mississauga rd. last spring with 11 broken ribs, 2 collapsed lungs and a broken clavicle.
She also jumped back on her bike early contrary to her doctors advice, now me and another rider try and keep her in one piece by giving her reminders during rides when she starts to assume a little too much.

NDspd
March 7th, 2012, 02:51 PM
Glad you are back on your feet again. Just proves some people should never drive.

blink
March 7th, 2012, 03:18 PM
At least he still has the balls to do that =p

Glad your better! Enjoy the season...mine should start friday/saturday =]

mustang5.0
March 8th, 2012, 11:19 AM
glad you can move on!!

MikeBudd
March 8th, 2012, 11:52 AM
Glad to see that you are still super stoked about riding. Bad injuries often spook people to the point they never get on a bike again!

Scootch
March 12th, 2012, 11:12 AM
Great you are back on the bike and all recovered. I also ride with a young girl who at 16 was airlifted off of Mississauga rd. last spring with 11 broken ribs, 2 collapsed lungs and a broken clavicle.
She also jumped back on her bike early contrary to her doctors advice, now me and another rider try and keep her in one piece by giving her reminders during rides when she starts to assume a little too much.

Was that the girl who crashed into the guard rail on 400north getting on the 407? I'm pretty sure this girl was airlifted somewhere also.

Just got a call from a buddy that he crashed at Caledonia and Lawrence, fml.
Might go for a ride over to Sunnybrook to see him when he's ready

Scootch
March 12th, 2012, 11:13 AM
Glad to see that you are still super stoked about riding. Bad injuries often spook people to the point they never get on a bike again!

Both me and my brother have been in surgery for bike accidents, it's nothing new. You fall, you recover, you get back on.

nealt
March 12th, 2012, 04:41 PM
Was that the girl who crashed into the guard rail on 400north getting on the 407? I'm pretty sure this girl was airlifted somewhere also.

Just got a call from a buddy that he crashed at Caledonia and Lawrence, fml.
Might go for a ride over to Sunnybrook to see him when he's ready

Sorry to hear about your friend, hopefully its not too serious and he heals soon.
As far as my friend no that wasn't the one, she doesn't remember much of what happened, she was airlifted because she would have died if they hadn't got her to emerg asap.
Ride season has started, be careful out there

MikeBudd
March 13th, 2012, 08:54 PM
Both me and my brother have been in surgery for bike accidents, it's nothing new. You fall, you recover, you get back on.

Good motto to live by.

I definitely congratulate you guys. I do know a couple people that have been scared away, in it's a sad sight. My brother was one of them for a good 6 months :O