Reporter: Aaron Kunz / Johnny Archer
An Idaho Falls man is awarded $1.8 million for a 2006 motorcycle crash.
After a two week trial in the Bonneville County Courthouse, jury members Friday evening voted in favor of Levon Babakhanian for a traffic accident that nearly killed him and his girlfriend almost three years ago.
“I just remember after the crash I opened my eyes and I was trying to stand up on my feet,” says Levon Babakhanian, who survived the near fatal crash. “I had no idea what was going on.“
What had happened was Babakhanian and his girlfriend had just crashed his motorcycle at an intersection in Bonneville County just outside of Idaho Falls into a Cedarpoint Construction dump truck towing a flat bed trailer.
According to the prosecutor, the truck did not fully stop at a stop sign to let Babakhanian by, who had the right-of-way.
Babakhanian’s lawyer, Allen Browning from Curtis and Browning Law Offices, says Cedarpoint Construction did not feel they were any bit at fault.
“For the defendant in this case to take no responsibility what so ever when their truck driver blew through a stop sign and crushed this young man is outrageous,” says Allen Browning.
Friday evening, jury members agreed with Browning and awarded Babakhanian $1.8 million.
Because of the crash, Babakhanian received several broken bones, had to have reconstructive surgery on his face and was unable to walk for a period of time.
The crash took a toll on Babakhanian physically and mentally as well.
“It’s very depressing,” Babakhanian says. “It used to be especially [depressing] when my injuries were not healing as fast as I would have liked them to.”
Three years after the crash, Babakhanian still has trouble standing for too long, but is hoping that will change in the future.
“I look forward to walking, being able to walk for as long as I want to,” Babakhanian says. “Hopefully being able to jog one day. I’m not sure if that will ever happen.
Babakhanian says at one point he wanted to go to school for nursing. But now has changed his plans to do something else that does not require him to stand on his feet for too long since doctors say he will most likely never fully recover.
