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Marathoner's Fractured Leg Leads to $490,000 Settlement.
Armando Brionez was an Elite Master's runner who trained 5 to 20 miles a day, 6 days a week, 11 months a year, averaging 75 miles a week. He ran the Boston Marathon in 3:03. He handled the running leg for the team which won Oregon's Pole-Paddle Relay four times against Olympic-level competition. He was the defending Northwest Cross-Country Champion for his age group.
On August 13, 1997, Mr. Brionez began a three-week vacation from his job as a millwright at the Intalco aluminum plant. He planned to camp in the San Juan Islands, running each morning, kayaking in the midday, and then running again in the afternoon, in preparation for the upcoming racing season. He drove to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, and since there was a two-hour wait for the ferry, he changed into running clothes and began a five-mile run to Anacortes and back along a marked biking/jogging trail adjoining the main road.
17-year old Todd Zentner apparently fell asleep at the wheel (at 12:30 in the afternoon!) and drove the right front wheel off the vehicle lane, over the biking/jogging lane, and into the gravel shoulder. He couldn't regain control of the Dodge B-250 van at the posted 35 mph speed limit.
Armando heard tires squealing. He tried to jump behind a telephone pole but was struck from behind. He curled into a ball as he flew through the air "...as if he had been drop-kicked through a field goal." Everything went black. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on his left side with bones sticking out of his left leg. Armando was hit so hard that his body, most likely his head, dented the hood of Todd Zentner’s big Dodge. Armando was stabilized, given morphine for pain, and rushed to Island Hospital in Anacortes.
Armando received serious orthopedic and head injuries including tibia/fibula fractures, ligament injuries, ankle and foot injuries, traumatic strain to the back muscles, and post-concussive head injuries including situational depression, memory dysfunction, olfactory disturbance, headaches and post traumatic stress symptoms.
Armando's courage and attitude, born of long-distance running, served him well in his uphill recovery, and also so impressed the insurance representatives that they had little question about the reality of the impact of the orthopedic and concussive injuries.
Although Armando was initially unable to return to competitive running, during the period of his recuperation he served as President of the Greater Bellingham Running Club, and also volunteered to coach novice runners who participated in charity events, as a way to stay involved in running, to practice his organizational skills and to avoid depression caused by withdrawal from his core activity.
Ultimately, character and grit allowed Armando to resume his marathon career, although he will probably never again compete at the top of the Masters level.
Call the attorneys at Brett & Coats today at 1-800-925-1875, 360-714-0900, or contact us via our online form.
