The Region - News from June 3, 1987

A student who was in a coma for five months after being struck by a bicyclist on a campus sidewalk settled his claim against the University of California, Irvine, for at least $4.5 million. Lawyers for James A. Fitzgerald, now 22, who was a junior hoping to follow his father in a legal career before a fellow student struck him from behind on Nov. 15, 1985, said he suffered brain damage, is now paralyzed in both legs and one arm, and will probably never be able to work, care for himself or “carry on a conversation.” UC Irvine lawyers denied any liability in the settlement, which was reached after discussions before Orange County Superior Court Judge James R. Ross. A campus committee formed after the Fitzgerald tragedy recommended a code of bicycle use and speed restrictions, which were imposed campuswide last fall.