$6,000,000 Settlement for Woman Injured in Highway Construction Accident

June 27, 2025

David Marks, alongside trial lawyers from Blankingship & Keith, P.C., secured a $6,000,000 settlement on behalf of a woman who suffered facial trauma and a traumatic brain injury after striking a 125-foot, 44,000-pound steel beam left across Route 7 outside Falls Church, Virginia.

As the plaintiff drove home from work at night, her vehicle collided with the unlit beam, which had been negligently placed directly across all lanes of travel during an effort to reposition it for a highway expansion project. The beam lacked lights or reflectors, rendering it virtually invisible in the dark. She struck the obstruction at 35 mph and sustained life-altering injuries.

The case resolved in mediation on February 18, 2025, just one month before trial. The mediation was conducted by Judge Johanna Fitzpatrick (Ret.).

“This recklessness caused a catastrophic accident that never should have happened. The settlement will never get our client back to the way she was but it will give her closure and assist with her lifelong injuries,” said attorney David Marks.