Bahia Court orders R$ 120,000 compensation for cyclist in bus accident

The Second Civil Chamber of the Court of Justice of Bahia (TJ-BA) has ordered a bus company to pay R$ 120,000 in compensation to a cyclist who had his right leg amputated following an accident in Ilhéus in November 2019.

The court split the indemnity into two equal parts: R$ 60,000 for moral damages and R$ 60,000 for aesthetic damages. This decision increases the original lower court ruling, which had totaled R$ 44,000.

Judges ruled that there was concurrent fault in the accident. While the cyclist assumed risk by attempting to overtake the bus on the right side and entering the driver's blind spot, the bus driver also contributed to the incident by performing a right-hand turn with the passenger door open, which compromised visibility through the rearview mirror.