Motor Vehicle Negligence – Unicycle rider dies after being hit by car

$2.25 million settlement

Injuries alleged: Wrongful death/personal injury

Tried before: Mediation

Date resolved: March 26, 2026

Amount: $2.25 million

Special damages: $186,280.21 in hospital bills, plus lost wages

Attorneys for plaintiff: Stephanie E. Grana and M. Scott Bucci, Henrico County, Cantor Grana Bucker Bucci

Case description: In January 2025, the decedent, a 26-year-old male, was traveling home from work on an electric unicycle in the far-right lane of U.S. Route 1. The plaintiff’s counsel argued that the electric unicycle was excluded from the statutory list of transportation devices defined in Va. Code § 46.2-100, as the decedent was operating a “vehicle” and both he and the other driver were required to follow the “Rules of the Road.”

As the decedent continued operating the unicycle, the defendant, driving a Chevrolet Silverado 2500, was exiting the highway, and merging into traffic. The defendant merged into the far-right lane and struck the unicycle. The defendant driver claimed he did not see the unicycle. The defense argued that the unicycle was not, in fact, a “vehicle” and should not have been on a highway.

The decedent was alive at the scene but later succumbed to his injuries after being transported to the hospital, where surgical intervention was ultimately unsuccessful. He is survived by his mother and three adult siblings, and had provided financial support to his family.