Svetlana Vitus, 33, was operating her motor vehicle with her two minor daughters as passengers when she stopped for pedestrians at a crosswalk near a park. Zachary Ripsom was driving a van owned by the Southern Oregon Education Service District; the van rear-ended Vitus’s vehicle.
Vitus lost consciousness after the crash and was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed as having suffered a concussion and whiplash.
For the next three years, she required conservative care, including physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, and acupuncture, and she received an epidural injection.