In what is believed to be the largest civil judgments in Colorado’s history, a jury awarded more than $52.5 million to a Denver bicyclist, who got paralyzed after being struck by two cars, while he was riding on his bike from work to home on January 27, 2017.
The verdict was granted in favor of the plaintiff who was riding along West 26th Avenue from his office in Golden to his home near Sloan’s Lake and crossed Wadsworth Boulevard with a green light. At the same time, a driver turned left from the opposite side of the intersection, crossing the victim's path causing a collision, as per police reports. The crash knocked the victim down from his Mondial Tommaso bike. As he was lying injured in the street, another driver driving a Honda CRV ran over his head and dragged him several feet ahead. The second driver flew from the spot and later told the officers that he was unaware of the accident. The victim worked as a computer programmer and was a former rock-and-roller. But after the accident, he has been unable to move his lower body or hands.
The victim and his wife filed a lawsuit against LFI Fort Pierce and Chelsea Brewer in 2017 seeking damages from the collision. The jury awarded $15.7 million for Suydam’s medical bills, lost wages, and other economic damages. He was also awarded $32.8 million in physical impairment damages. The second driver was considered 10% responsible for the victim's injuries, but he will not be liable for the cost, according to a plaintiff attorney. He was sentenced to five years in prison on charges linked to the fatal crash.
