Romilda Aparecida Ferreira, 31, and his lawyers said they plan to file a lawsuit for injuries, medical expenses, lost income, and psychological trauma after the van and left the embassy ran aground in the club parking lot with a broken collarbone, lung leak and other injuries. The incident occurred December 29 when an embassy driver was sent to the club to take three marines and a civilian staff.
A civil suit will add a case where prosecutors Brazil have said they are considering criminal charges, including harassment and failure to provide assistance to the wounded. It also threatens to further tarnish the image of U.S. personnel abroad after a separate scandal involving members of the U.S. Secret Service and prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, earlier this month.
A little look at that, the incident in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, gained traction this week when a local reporter asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, then a visit to the country, what happened. Panetta said the United States have been investigating the matter, "severely punished" marines, and pull them out of Brazil.
Additional details of some of these incidents has been provided by U.S. officials, including the intractable nature of the offer made by the attorney Ferreira said its embassy in return to compensate for non-disclosure agreement.
But a former prostitute, was still recovering from surgery and is now starting a career as a pet store owner, a detailed account that night, told Reuters in an interview Wednesday at his old law firm.
Ferreira said, along with her co-workers, first met four Americans over the tequila and whiskey in the strip club. "Like the night, we sat down with the people to drink and talk," he said.
Before long, he adds, "we agreed to that price and we will go to his house." But the problem occurs when the group started to leave the club.
Ferreira said he was forced out of the van with one of the men when he tried to join some of his colleagues, who had entered the vehicle. He said he panicked when he was snatched, so he tried to hold on to the van, but crashed to the ground, hitting his head and lost consciousness.
After he fell, his lawyer said the man told the driver to go. Rear wheel drive vehicle then drove over Ferreira. The lawyers say the driver may not realize he was there.
Van briefly stopped after running over her, they add, and then pulled away for good.
In a Washington press conference on Wednesday, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department confirmed Ferreira was hit, but gave conflicting reports of a particular one. Ferreira, he said, trying to open the door once the van is moving.
Trauma
Ferreira, who worked as a stripper at the club for three years, said he was traumatized by the incident that made him stay in hospital for 12 days.
After being released from the hospital, he said, embassy officials visited him to find his account of events and then offers nearly 4,000 women reais ($ 2,100), which he rejected. His lawyer said they were then followed up with the embassy, but failed to reach agreement on pay and conditions which would be required Ferreira signed non-disclosure agreement.
A U.S. embassy spokesman confirmed there is no convincing discussion on compensation, but did not know the exact details.
Ferreira's lawyer said they were monitoring the progress of a potential criminal prosecution on charges before proceeding with the lawsuit. Damage, they said, will help compensate for Ferreira injury, mental suffering and expenses incurred in his recovery.
Using savings and loans from friends, Ferreira said, he paid 18 000 reais ($ 9,574) for corrective surgery on the first attempt failed to set a broken collar bone. Bone still appears swollen and dark scars still damage elsewhere, and even feet.
Ferreira also quit his life as a prostitute and use the remaining money to start a pet shop and care services.
"I'm not going back there," said her former life, who added that scarred and deformed bones now makes her feel self conscious. "How am I going to dance again?"
($ 1 = 1.8806 Brazilian reais)
(Additional reporting by Hugo Bachega; Editing by Paulo Prada and Lisa Shumaker)
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