Woman rear-ended by school bus recovers for head injury

An accident involving a school bus driver alleged to have been texting while behind the wheel resulted in a $150,000 settlement for a fellow motorist.

“He drove into my client’s vehicle and caused a four-car pileup on the highway,” said Julie Siegel of Siegel Injury Law.

Siegel said that the resolution was reached through mediation with the Hazelwood School District following a November 2017 crash in which Benjamin Nichols struck the rear of Danielle Hicks’ vehicle and propelled her into another vehicle.

The suit alleged that Nichols was “texting and driving and driving distracted, a reckless, wonton, and willful act, exposing Plaintiff to the risk of harm.”

She said that the plaintiff’s head injuries included lingering side effects involving headaches, dizziness and blurry vision.

“The major injury was a brain injury,” Siegel said. “She had a scar in her scalp where her head hit the windshield and her windshield actually cracked. She had very little memory of the incident.”

The case was complicated somewhat by her client’s use of holistic treatment which caused her to decline some measures of traditional care.

“In these personal injury cases, the majority of it is based on medical bills and she didn’t have a ton of medical bills,” Siegel said noting uncertainty as to how a jury might regard the situation.

Edward Zeidler II of Brown & James, an attorney for the defendant, declined to comment.

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$150,000 settlement

Motor vehicle accident

Venue: St. Louis County Circuit Court

Case Number/Date: 20SL-CC04403/Nov. 10, 2022

Special Damages: $36,000

Insurer: Missouri United School Insurance Council

Caption: Danielle Hicks v. Hazelwood School District and Benjamin Nichols

Plaintiff’s Attorney: Julie Siegel, Siegel Injury Law, St. Louis

Defendant’s Attorneys: Justin Chapell and Edward Zeidler II, Brown & James, St. Louis