By Stephanie Hoops
The Ventura County Star
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — A retired Ventura County firefighter has won a $1.7 million jury verdict for injuries caused by a 17-year-old driver found liable for negligence in a traffic accident. James Renshaw, 48, was in a coma for three weeks and hospitalized for two months after being struck about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 11, 2011. Renshaw was riding his motorcycle south on Highway 33 at Baldwin Road near Ojai.
Whitney Cooke, then a 17-year-old student at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, struck Renshaw after turning left against a red arrow from Highway 33 onto Baldwin, according to court records .
Cooke was driving on a provisional license with a 17-year-old classmate and was said to have told the California Highway Patrol he wasn’t paying full attention and didn’t realize the arrow was red until after entering the intersection .
Cooke was represented by James Hart, a lawyer with Nationwide Insurance Co. “The jury apparently believed Mr. Cooke ran a red turn arrow,” he said. “Mr. Cooke steadfastly denied that he ran a red turn arrow and believes he had a green turn arrow.”
Renshaw was critically injured, unconscious and unresponsive at the scene, according to the CHP.
The jury deliberated about seven hours and returned its verdict Friday after a two-week trial.
The $1.7 million award covers the more than $500,000 in medical expenses, which include a $424,706 charge by Ventura County Medical Center. It also will cover future surgeries, the $21,000 loss of Renshaw’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle and loss of future earnings.
About 30 hours before the crash, Renshaw was excitedly telling people he had been offered a job as a fire prevention inspector with Raytheon Co.
Raytheon officials provided his lawyer, Allen Ball, with a letter confirming the offer. After the crash, “He didn’t even remember the offer being conveyed,” Ball said.
Renshaw does not qualify for disability insurance. He is trying to find work he can do despite his injuries. He has arthritis and will need surgeries, his attorney said.
Ball said he doubts Renshaw would go on disability even if he could.
“All of the experts said he’s one of the most motivated, driven men they’ve ever seen,” Ball said. “The hospital told his parents they needed to contact a mortuary. He went from that to, by April, trying to help move furniture for his kids.”
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