Kudos to the City of Raleigh, North Carolina for accepting responsibility when one of their truck drivers hit a local man, which resulted in brain damage and other serious injuries. Unlike many insurance companies, Raleigh decided not to play games and agreed to a $2 million payment before a lawsuit was filed, the Harold Sun Reports.
The man, Reyes Abreo Gonzales, was hit by a Water Management Department truck in late 2011. Half his payment will be covered by insurance, with the rest coming from the city’s tax-funded risk management reserve, says Senior Assistant Attorney Kim Rehberg. Rehberg and Gonzalez’s lawyers negotiated the deal out of court in order to avoid a lawsuit.
Gonzales, who is the organizer of youth soccer leagues in the local Hispanic community, was injured on December 30, 2011 as he was walking to work at Guglhupf Café. Although he crossed the road in compliance with the traffic signal, he was struck by the truck, which was turning left. He was thrown several feet upon impact and was taken by medics to Duke University Hospital. He remained in a coma for nine days.
According to his lawyers, Gonzales suffered “extensive brain damage”, leg fractures, and internal injuries. He continues to undergo treatment and rehabilitation.