COLUMBIA — The attorney representing an MU student who lost her leg in an August 2005 bicycle accident met with three defense lawyers Monday morning in Boone County Circuit Court to set a date for the trial of her personal injury lawsuit.
Krysten Chambrot, a former Columbia Missourian staff member from Miramar, Fla., was hit by a car and then caught under a city utility truck while riding her bicycle on College Avenue.
She was seriously injured in the accident and lost her left leg. She is suing the two drivers who hit her, the city of Columbia and the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, a division of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“Because there are a number of lawyers, securing a week for the trial is a bit more difficult,” said Donald Schlapprizzi, the St. Louis-based lawyer representing Chambrot. He would not talk about the possibility of a settlement.
“Within the next week or so, we’ll know what the date will be,” Schlapprizzi said.
Schlapprizzi will face lawyers representing the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission; Michael Arens, the driver of the Columbia Water and Light Truck; Judy Pope, the 55-year-old driver of the car that initially hit Chambrot; and the city of Columbia.
Chambrot is suing Arens and Pope for damages for not driving carefully and the transportation commission for improper control and maintenance of the traffic light at the intersection of College and Rollins avenues, where the accident occurred.