01x63 - Car-Slam Into Cyclist

[bunniefuu]

Your bike collided with her car?

That's correct.

I fell onto the hood of her car,
and then I rolled off.

You were driving the wrong way in traffic.

[Rebecca] He was riding his bike
in the middle of the street.

Oh, that would be pretty stupid.

Well sure.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Aaron Benlolo
is suing motorist, Rebecca Mary

for damages after she hit him
while riding his bike to work.

[Kevin] Court come to order.

Be seated, please.

- Hello, Judge.
- How are you, Kevin?

Good. Case number 1161,
Benlolo versus Mary.

- Thank you.
- [Kevin] You're welcome.

Mr. Benlolo, how old are you?

Twenty-three years old.

[Judge Judy] This is about an accident

that happened when you were riding a bike

and the defendant was driving her car,

and it happened a while ago,

- September 11th, 2020.
- That's correct.

- You were riding a bike wearing a helmet?
- I was not wearing a helmet.

[Judge Judy]
Are you supposed to wear a helmet?

Yes.

Why weren't you wearing a helmet?

Didn't want to.

[Judge Judy]
So that would be pretty stupid.

- Fair.
- [Judge Judy] So, on September 11th,

you were riding your bike
without a helmet.

And according to what I read here,
you were going to a job.

- And it was your first day at the job.
- My first week.

What kind of a job were you going to?

So I had just gotten a job
as a dental assistant.

- [Judge Judy] For whom?
- [Aaron] Place called Children's Dental.

[Aaron] Fun Zone.

- [Judge Judy] Where is it located?
- Los Angeles.

What was your job there?

[Aaron] So I was a dental assistant...

[Judge Judy]
Did you go to school for that?

I did not. I'm in dental school now.

It was during my gap year.
I just wanted to gain some experience.

What did you do as a dental assistant?

- Yeah, I just giving you fair warning.
- Sure.

[Judge Judy]
My father was a dentist for 50 years.

- [Aaron] Very nice.
- My brother has been a dentist

for 50 years.

So, I pretty much know what you can do
as a dental hygienist,

which is a profession, which you were not.

No. It's separate.
Dental assisting and dental hygiene

are separate professions.
I was mostly sterilize...

- [Judge Judy] Cleaning instrument.
- Exactly. And wiping the chairs...

[Judge Judy] Okay. Who got you the job?

[Aaron] I found it...

I found it through my sister's friend
who is a dentist.

- Okay. So, through family?
- Yeah. Correct.

Great. You see it's all gonna work out
perfectly maybe for you.

- Children's Dental Zone?
- Yes.

Yeah, Dental Zone,
because you know how you always try to

couch going to the dentist,
with something with the word fun in it.

Now, September 11th,
Sarah, was what day of the week?

A Friday, 2020.

- And you had worked all week?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] How far do you live
from the fun dentistry?

[Aaron] It's about a 30-minute bike ride.

And who were you living with?

So, I was living with my sister
and her family at that time.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Did you go to work

- on September 14th?
- Yes, I did.

[Judge Judy]
Did you go to work on September 11th?

- [Aaron] Yes, I did.
- [Judge Judy] Did you go to work

- on September 15th?
- No.

- That was a Saturday, so no.
- No!

- September 11th was a...
- Friday.

- Friday.
- [Aaron] So...oh, September 15th?

[Judge Judy] Yeah, I asked you
whether you went to work

first on September 14th that would...

it gets harder, not easier.

Yes, I did.
I did go to work the next week.

[Judge Judy]
Did you go to work on September 11th?

- [Aaron] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Did you work a full day

- on September 11th?
- Yes. I told...

- [Judge Judy] Don't...
- Sorry.

You see how all this becomes...

all these other questions
become relevant, sir.

They come relevant to your issue of...

thousands of dollars in damages.

Now, what you said to me was

- you were in a gap year.
- Correct.

Which means that you were working
before you were going

- to go to dental school?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] Are you in dental school now?

- [Aaron] Yes, I am.
- Great. Which dental school?

- Columbia University.
- So you're smart.

- People say...always say that when I...
- So you're smart.

I mean, even though you weren't
wearing a helmet, you are smart.

And when did you start in Colombia?

[Aaron] I started this past August.

- [Judge Judy] August of 2021.
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] Now, between September 11th

and the summer of 2021,

were you still living with your sister?

- Um...
- [Judge Judy] Um, is not an answer.

No. So, my parents moved
to Los Angeles in about June,

- at that point...
- June of?

- [Aaron] 2021.
- [Judge Judy] '21?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Between September and June,

when your parents moved to Los Angeles,

- did you live with your sister?
- Yes, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy]
And you were still doing your gap year?

- [Aaron] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And did you work

- for happy teeth?
- [Aaron] No.

[Judge Judy] When did you stop working
for happy teeth?

I stopped working for them in January.

[Judge Judy]
So, between September 11th, 2020,

when this accident occurred

and January of 2021,
you worked for happy teeth?

Children's Dental Fun Zone, correct.

[Judge Judy]
And where did you go in January of 2021?

[Aaron] In January, I got COVID and...

[Judge Judy]
While you were at your sisters?

Yes. It wasn't fun,

but basically, I kept testing...

[Judge Judy]
There's no such word as basically in here.

- It's a filler word.
- [Aaron] Got it.

- Not basically.
- [Aaron] Got it.

- So, in January, you got COVID?
- Yes.

- And I was released from my job.
- Did you work again?

[Aaron] I got a different job
several months later in April,

in finance, totally unrelated.

So, other than your unfortunate experience
with COVID,

you consistently worked
from September 11th, 2020

up until your parents moved here.

You took some exams
to get into Columbia Dental School.

You made applications,
so that's a couple of months.

- That takes time.
- Right.

[Judge Judy] Did you apply any place else
other than Columbia?

- Yes, I did.
- Where else? Just for giggles.

Where else did you apply?

I applied to a few schools
in Los Angeles, UCLA, USC,

and a few more schools
in New York, NYU, Touro.

- Where else did you get in?
- [Aaron] I got into NYU, and...

- [Judge Judy] Columbia?
- Columbia.

What about here in Los Angeles?

[Aaron]
I did not get into schools in Los Angeles.

[Judge Judy] [laughs] Oh your parents must
have been miserable.

- [Aaron] Yeah.
- Moved to Los Angeles to be with his

[Aaron] Yeah, it's funny.

Their son who was going to go
to dental school,

and then he went cross country.

Everything becomes interesting.

I wanna know on September 11th,
you're riding your bike without a helmet.

The rules...
and I don't ride a bike anymore,

I could hardly walk anymore.

That was funny.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Aaron Benlolo claims
motorist, Rebecca Mary

owes for damages after hitting him
while riding his bike.

Okey-dokey. You're driving a bike.

You had constant work afterwards.

You went to work after the accident.

You went to work the following week.

You went to work consistently
until you got COVID.

Then, you got another job, okay?

And now, you are suing her for $7,500

for damages
resulting from a bike accident.

Now, I know who you are.

I'm gonna find out who she is.

Where were you going on September 11th?

My new job in real estate company,

it's called [...] Real Estate Advisors.

[Judge Judy] When did you start that job?

- July 2020.
- [Judge Judy] So you were going there

- a couple of months?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] At the time of the accident,

approximately what time was this?

Between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning.

- Go!
- It was about 8:07.

[Judge Judy] Tell me about the accident.

You're riding along without a helmet and?

[Aaron] Just taking my usual path.

I usually ride on the right...

[Judge Judy]
I don't care where you usually ride.

I wanna know on September 11th,

between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning,

you were on your way to work
at happy teeth

and you're riding your bike
without a helmet.

The rules...
and I don't ride a bike, anymore.

I could hardly walk anymore.

That was funny.

The rules of biking, I believe,
at least, I think,

is you're supposed to go
in the direction...

same direction that cars go,

and follow the same rules
as if you were driving a car.

- Would that be right?
- I think so.

- This is not a thinking question.
- Okay.

[Judge Judy]
I just have to know whether the rules,

as I recall them, are right.

Rules for bicyclists in Los Angeles.

[Sarah] Uh-hmm.
Ride with the direction of traffic.

Use bicycle lanes whenever possible.

It says minors must wear a helmet
under the age of 18.

Don't ride under the influence.

Bicyclists must yield to pedestrians.

[Judge Judy] What about following signals
and that, sort of, thing?

Does it say anything about that
in Los Angeles,

- so the...it was probably.
- I believe so.

It says that if you're riding a bicycle
on a street that has a bike lane,

you're required to use
the specific bike lane and those signals,

if not, ride in the same direction
as car traffic.

[Judge Judy] So, if there's a bike lane,

- you have to use the bike lane.
- [Sarah] Yes.

If there's not, you have to go
in the same direction of traffic.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Very good.

- Was there a bike lane where you were?
- There was no bike lane.

[Judge Judy] And you were driving
in the direction of traffic?

[Aaron] Yes, for the majority
of my commute.

At the time of the accident, no.

[Judge Judy] So, at the time
of the accident, you were not

- driving in the direction of traffic?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] So that's against the rules.

- [Aaron] Correct.
- [Judy] And then, what happened?

So my work was a few blocks away,

so I had crossed the street,

you know, when this,
this pedestrian would signal.

[Judge Judy]
How many is a few blocks away?

Four blocks.

Well. So, for four blocks,

you were violating the rules
of riding a bike.

Well, I mean, I didn't get to ride my bike
past those four blocks, but yes.

[Judge Judy] I mean, there are rules
for, for driving a car.

You're supposed to go
on the right side of the road,

unless you're in London.

And then, you have to figure out
what the right side of the road is.

But certainly, if I said to the defendant,

were you on the right side of the road
or traveling against traffic,

and she said she was traveling
against traffic and driving

- I would think she was coocoo, right?
- Sure.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So, for a certain period of time,

you were going
where you shouldn't be driving.

- I was in...
- [Judge Judy] Let's...not I was in.

- Let me hear...
- [Aaron] Sure.

...how the accident,
according to you, happened?

- Is that your chart?
- [Aaron] Yes.

- That's my depiction of the accident.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So, you were driving straight

but going against traffic,

and the plaintiff was going
to make a right turn,

- which is possible.
- On a red light.

That's also possible here
unless there's a sign that says,

"no right turn on red,"
because you stopped.

And if there's no traffic,
you can make a right turn.

That's what the rules are.
Is that correct?

Check it.

Can make a right turn on red,
but you're going the wrong way,

where you're not supposed to be.

And this is your diagram.

And when she made the right turn,
she hit you?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Is that, Ms. Mary,

an accurate representation
of the accident?

No, it is not.

[Judge Judy] Do you have your own diagram?

Yes, I do. He was riding his bike

in the middle of the street
in the wrong side of the lane.

I was making a right turn behind the bus.

- And I...
- Okay, just a second.

- So, in front of you was a bus?
- [Rebecca] Correct.

[Judge Judy]
So, that is not an accurate picture

because if there's a bus in front of you,

you can't see what's coming.

There are three lanes on that street.

He was in the furthest lane.

[Judge Judy] No, I see where you have it.

He's not going where he's supposed to be.

He knows he's not...

now, he knows
where he's not supposed to be.

My question now to you is...
you just told me

- there was a bus in front of you.
- Correct.

Was the bus making a right turn

or was the bus going straight?

[Rebecca] The bus has already
parked on the side

- by the bus benches waiting for...
- [Judge Judy] What you're...

- I, I don't see...
- So, it was...

I don't see the bus in that diagram.

So I want you to walk over there

[Rebecca] Okay.

And point to me where the bus was.

[Rebecca] Right over here.

- Right where the bench are
- So the bus was parked

- or stopped?
- [Rebecca] It stopped

so it can unload passengers.

[Judge Judy] So you were making
a right turn.

Was it your intention
to go around the bus?

No, I was not.

I was waiting for him to pass.

[Judge Judy] Waiting
for the bus to go? Not pass.

[Rebecca] Yes, waiting for the bus to go.

But you were making a right turn?

- Yes.
- And he came from across traffic?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] All right.

Now, tell me what happened, Mr. Benlolo.

- I was not going across traffic.
- [Judge Judy] Whatever.

So, you're going in the wrong direction.

She was making a right turn

and your bike collided with her car

- or her car collided with you?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] And according
to what I read here,

you got thrown up
onto the hood of her car.

Yes, I fell onto the hood of her car.

I was on it for maybe two seconds,
and then I rolled off.

- She stopped.
- [Judge Judy] And she stopped.

You spoke?

I got up

because I was filled
with adrenaline and I...

You got up, you were filled
with adrenaline the whole day

- 'cause you went to work?
- Yes.

And I told her to get out of the car.

She pulled her car over.
She looked noticeably distraught

[Judge Judy] What do you mean you...

what do you...just a second,

don't tell me what you noticed,
don't tell me what you saw.

So far, we have an accident, right?

And usually, when there's an accident,

pedestrians are usually right.

But bicyclists could break the rules.

When bicyclists break the rules,

sometimes there are accidents.

So, it's not always
the fault of the driver.

So, when you say you told her
to get out of a car,

what do you mean you told her
to get out of the car?

Well, she stopped the car and she asked...

[Judge Judy] She stopped the car.

[Aaron] She asked me
"Are you okay? Are you okay?"

[Judge Judy] Just a second. And you said?

I said I was also a little bit in shock.

[Judge Judy] No. And you said?

- I said, "Could you please pull over?"
- [Judge Judy] Just a second,

I want you to tell me
what you said to her.

You said...did you say
to get out of the car,

or did you say would you please
pull over and get out of the car?

I said "Could you get out of the car?"

[Judge Judy] Okay. And?

[Aaron] And she moved out of traffic.

Did you see the bus, by the way?

- I don't recall a bus.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Go ahead.

[Aaron] I was just trying to gather myself

and see if I was okay.

I was pretty amazed that I wasn't...

- [Judge Judy] Listen to me.
- Sure.

Your mother is...cares whether you
were amazed,

whether you were dazed,
whether you had adrenaline,

whether you had other things.

I'm sure she is.

Me, it's not that I don't care.
It's just that it's not relevant

- Okay.
- to your case

because you went to work that day,

and you worked all day,
and the whole next week,

and the whole next week after that.

You went to an attorney.

[Aaron] It was a few days later.

I think I called them on Monday.

Of course, you called them on Monday.

I could have made a book on the fact

that you called them on Monday.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Aaron Benlolo
has accused motorist Rebecca Mary

of crashing into him
while riding his bike.

Mary says Aaron was riding
on the wrong side of the road.

[Judge Judy] Okay. This happened
September 11th, 2020

when your family was still in New York.

My parents.

Yes, your parents were still in New York.

Now, did you call anybody
when you got to work,

like your sister, or your mother,

- or your father?
- Sure.

[Judge Judy] And told them
that you were in an accident?

- Yes.
- Who did you call?

[Aaron] First, I called my mom.

She didn't answer, so I called my dad.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
And did you give your father

- the defendant's number?
- I think, yes.

What was the purpose of giving your father

the defendant's number?

[Aaron] Well, I did not want him
to reach out in any way,

that I don't think there was any purpose.

At some point after September 11th,

- you went to an attorney.
- Correct.

- Name of the attorney.
- Robin.

[Judge Judy] And who gave you his name?

[Aaron] My brother-in-law.

[Judge Judy] And when was the first time

that you called Mr. Robin?

A few days later.

So, a few days later would be...

this happened on a Friday.

So, you wouldn't call Mr. Robin
on a Saturday or Sunday

'cause there wasn't an emergency.

You went to work on Monday.

So, if it was a few days later,

it was the beginning
of the following week,

which was the 14th
or the 15th of September.

Correct. I think I called him on Monday.

Of course, you called him on Monday.

I could have made book on the fact

that you called him on Monday.

Did you see him on Monday?

I did meet with him.

[Judge Judy] On what date? Just a second.

On the 14th after work?

[Aaron] No, I think I called him first,

and then I think I met with him
later that week.

[Judge Judy] Between calling him
on Monday...

pay careful attention to me.

Between calling him on Monday

and seeing him towards
the end of the week,

did you seek medical attention?

Follow my question.
My question is a simple one.

You're in dental school.
You're a smart boy.

You're in Columbia.

Even though you didn't get into USC,
you're a smart boy.

Question is a simple one,
between September 11th,

when you contacted Mr. Robin

and when you saw him the end of the week,

do you have any proof for me
that you saw a doctor?

- Yes. I...
- [Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.

[Aaron] I took a half day
on Tuesday to go see...

- to go see my general doctor.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

[Aaron] Tuesday morning.

- Just a second.
- Sure.

[Judge Judy] After you took
a couple of hours off

to go and see your general doctor.

- Did you go back to work?
- [Aaron] Um...

[Judge Judy] On September 14th,
did you go back to work?

[Aaron] I think I was mistaken earlier

when I said I worked that whole week.

I'm pretty sure I took
the rest of that day off.

[Judge Judy] You took the rest
of the day off on the 14th? So, you...

[Aaron] It was either Monday or Tuesday,

I'm not...I don't recall.

[Judge Judy] And you first,

before you went to your general doctor,

- you spoke to Mr. Robin?
- Yes.

- [Judge Judy] The lawyer?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] Now, you didn't...
on September 12th,

- you didn't go to an emergency room?
- No.

[Judge Judy] Or, uh,
what do they call that?

- Urgent care.
- Urgent care.

- No, I rested.
- [Judge Judy] No,

I don't care what you did.
I don't care whether you rested,

whether you played tennis,
hockey, whatever.

I'm just putting things in clinical order.

On September 11th, you went to work

and worked all day, that's here.

On September 12th,

you neither went to an urgent care
or to an emergency room.

On the 13th of September,

you neither went to an emergency room,

nor did you go to an urgent care.

On September 14th,

on the advice of your brother-in-law

and who gave you the name of a lawyer,

you called Mr. Robin

who couldn't see you
until the end of the week.

But after you spoke to him,

according to you, Whitney, read it back.

"I took a couple of hours off from work."

He said, "I do recall.
I did take a couple of hours

in the morning off."

[Judge Judy] You went to your doctor
and reported that you didn't feel well.

And then, you went back to work
the next day.

And according to you until you got COVID.

See where I'm going?
Do you understand where I'm going?

- [Aaron] Well, sure.
- [Judge Judy] Sure.

- Where are you going?
- [Judge Judy] Where I'm going is

I understand the scenario.

- How do you think I know that?
- Because you're smart.

- Because this is not new.
- [Aaron] Sure, I mean...

This is not new,

'cause if you're really injured
the next day,

that afternoon on a Sunday,

you'll go to this emergency room,
urgent care.

Sarah Rose knows all about urgent care.

She tells me where it is, uh,

you know on a Saturday or a Sunday.

Well, there's one right down the block,

you can go to urgent care.

Just a second,
you did none of those things.

It wasn't until you spoke to the lawyer,

who you made an appointment
to see on Friday,

that you went to see your doctor.

And when you went to see,

you saw no chiropractor between Monday,

and the end of the week
when you saw your lawyer,

- right?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] And what you're suing her for

is not only this accident,

where you were driving
the wrong way in traffic,

but you're suing her
for your chiropractic bills.

Yes.

[Judge Judy] After your lawyer dumped you.

[Aaron] Yes.

[laughs] I love this case. It's dismissed.
Goodbye.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

I think she was negligent
and she hit me with her car

without, you know,
properly stopping at the red light

and looking both ways.

I appreciate the fact
that she allowed me to...

that she saw my side of the story.

I was a few blocks away from my work,

so I crossed the street
when I had the opportunity to.

The truth of the matter was,

he wasn't even coming to my windshield.

He just grazed the front license plate
on my car and that was it.

I had some knee problems
and kind of hurt my back.

Between him and his father,
he made some allegations

that were untrue and it all
boiled down to him making a scam.

Ride on the right side of the road,
I guess.

Follow all traffic laws.

- Thanks for your help on that case.
- Of course. Anytime.

You wanna know what my takeaway
is on that case?

I'd love to hear it.

His parents are probably so upset

that he didn't get into dental school
on the west coast.

- Yeah, where they had just moved.
- [Judge Judy] Here they moved

from the east coast to the west coast

- because their daughter is here.
- Uh-hmm.

Probably, has grandchildren here.

They're gonna have a son
who's clearly smart.

He was gonna go to dental school
on the west coast,

and that is all the way across country.

Anyway, if you're riding a bike,

you have to treat
the rules of the road respectfully.

You know, there have been too many
accidents involving bikers

who get hurt themselves
but who hurt other people.

- Yeah.
- He was careless.

- Fortunately, he really wasn't hurt.
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] You know, this was a family,

I'd get a lawyer involved
and make some money.

Not in my court.

Not here.

[announcer] You want justice?



[theme music playing]