A Richmond resident has been awarded almost $206,000 for a 2019 car accident.
Bashir Tootakhil was rear-ended by a Richmond Cab in February 2019. Tootakhil was 43 years old at the time and was married with three children.
He worked as a taxi and Uber driver, but in the past also worked for the U.S. military as an interpreter and as an electronics technician.
At trial, Tootakhil claimed constant lower back pain, which impacted how much he could lift and sit, and “low mood and a change in personality” following the accident, Justice Sheila Tucker explained in her decision.
In her summary, Tucker found Tootakhil’s main limitations were spinal movements and loading activities, impacting his ability to lift and stand upright for more than 30 minutes at a time. She also found driving a taxi or Uber would exacerbate his lower back pain.
Furthermore, she found Tootakhil did suffer from low mood and a change in personality after the accident.
However, Tucker also noted that Tootakhil should be able to drive an Uber about eight hours a day, however, with breaks, and has been able to do that since early 2022.
She also agreed with Tootahkil’s chronic pain doctor that with continued strength building, “he will likely have yet more symptomatic improvement, in particular with respect to pain with lifting.”
Tootakhil received $90,000 for pain and suffering, about $11,500 for past loss of income, $52,000 for future loss of income and almost $43,000 for future care costs. He was also awarded $7,500 for loss of housekeeping capacity and more than $2,000 in special damages at $2,098.
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