ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 20, 1996 TAG: 9604220036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
A man seriously injured when a Norfolk Southern Railway Co. train crashed through a 23-ton steel wall was awarded $10 million by a Richmond Circuit Court jury that took only 90 minutes to deliberate.
Norfolk Southern also agreed to pay $2.7 million to the estate of Larry E. Bryant, 35, who was killed in the July 28, 1994, accident.
Willie T. Edwards, 47, was working on the Richmond floodwall when the train came barreling through unexpectedly. The railroad acknowledged that it was negligent in allowing the boxcar to roll 1.8 miles to the floodgate.
Edwards suffered subtle but substantial brain damage when the train hit him in the face, his attorney, John C. Shea told the jury during the four-day trial that concluded Thursday. Shea said the impact of the crash threw Edwards ``like a rag doll face down into a puddle of mud.''
Shea said Edwards will probably never be able to be employed again. The victim testified only briefly during the proceedings and did not attend the trial otherwise to avoid hearing testimony about the extent of his injuries.
During the trial, NS agreed to the other settlement, which calls for the payment of $1.17 million immediately to Bryant's widow and for $1.53 million to purchase a series of annuities for his three children.
A lawsuit against NS involving Ronald D. Coleman, another worker who lost a leg in the accident, has been set for trial in July.
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB