Pedestrian ups damage award after Brand denies fault for injuries

This past January the well-known comedian and actor Russell Brand was involved in a car accident in which a pedestrian was injured. The pedestrian decided to file a personal injury lawsuit in order to receive compensation that would most likely help cover the medical bills that resulted from treating the injuries or maybe covering wages that may have been lost during the period of recovery. Either way, these damages were recently requested in the amount of $25,000 in October 2012.

After filing the complaint and stating damages in the amount of $25,000, Russell Brand responded with a claim of his own in January. Brand’s response did not deny that the pedestrian had suffered injuries to his hand, arm and hip. Instead, the response stated that the injuries caused in the accident were a “direct, proximate and sole result” of the pedestrian’s own “physical bodily condition and constitutional composition.”

This may sound like legal mumbo jumbo to our readers. What the response essentially claimed was that the pedestrian was the one who was negligent in the accident and that the injuries he incurred were not only caused by his own negligent actions but that his body was basically susceptible to the injuries.

The pedestrian did not take this response lightly and has now amended his damage request. The pedestrian has increased that amount to $185,000. The two different damage requests do not mean that the injuries were suddenly exacerbated further or that they are false claims. A pedestrian is not required to request the maximum damage award that they may be eligible for, but they certainly can and they can amend a request. When comes to trial, it is a matter of proof, which is why it is so important to choose an attorney with extensive experience in these types of cases.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Russell Brand Lawsuit: Pedestrian In Car Accident Asking For $185,000 In Damages,” March 11, 2013

For those in New Jersey, our law firm handles exactly these types of cases. Visit our Pedestrian Accident page to learn more about what to do after these accidents.