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Results
Cyclist Struck Suffers Traumatic Brain Injury
Settlement: $5 Million | Sacramento County | John Doe v. John Slaughter / Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.
Defendant and insurer AIG accepted a pending $5 million policy limits demand two days before trial on a matter where a work vehicle for a local underground pipe manufacturer struck a 60-year-old professional who became a client of the Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora firm.
Dangerous Intersection Caused Pedestrian Death
Verdict: $3.2 Million | Merced Superior Court | Gonzales v. City of Atwater
The intersection had been signalized at the end of 2001 and within a year, a person was killed in the crosswalk where Delia Gonzales was ultimately struck. As was the case with the death of Gonzales, a left-turning vehicle struck John Toews and killed him.
Pedestrians Hit By Drunk Driver In Sacramento
Settlement: $3.2 Million | Sacramento County | Elliott-Galvan v Border
On June 1, 2012, Amy Elliott and Steven Galvan were standing on the sidewalk at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Howe Avenue when a drunk driver came onto the sidewalk and struck them as they waited to cross the street. After the initial collision, the drunk driver did not stop, but continued to drive several hundred feet before colliding with another vehicle that was stopped at a stop sign. A blood test of the drunk driver would later reveal a blood alcohol content of .28.
Agricultural Aviator’s Death Due To Unmarked Meteorological Evaluation Tower
Settlement: $6.7 Million | Contra Costa County | Allen v. Delta Wetlands
On January 10, 2011, a 60-meter meteorological evaluation tower (MET) that had been erected in April 2009 took the life of well-known and respected Northern California agricultural aviator Steve Allen. Mr. Allen had been hired by Bouldin Farming Company to spread winter wheat on one of the fields in Webb Tract Island, located in Contra Costa County.
On the day of the subject incident, Mr. Allen was never made aware of the existence of the tower by Bouldin Farming Company, and from eyewitness accounts, it was clear that he never saw it before he struck it and fell to his death. Mr. Allen’s death was not the first where agricultural aviators struck unmarked and unlit METs during daytime operations.
United States Sanctioned For Destroying Evidence
Botell v. U.S. Park Service
United States deemed to be negligent in the death of Tommy Botell by court order. During the course of discovery in this case, it became apparent that relevant evidence had not been preserved and/or had been destroyed. Steve Campora and Catia Saraiva filed a motion against the United States seeking sanctions based on spoliation of evidence.
Trucking Company Responsible For Damages
March 2010 – Sacramento County – $24.3 Million
On the afternoon of March 5, 2010, a Sacramento jury returned a $24.3 million verdict for Diana Jimenez, an Oregon resident, who will turn 15 next month. $20 million of the verdict was for Diana’s past and future pain and suffering. At age 9, Diana was run over by the semi-tires of a truck and suffered pelvic degloving injuries, as well as orthopedic injuries. “Although she now ‘appears’ normal and returned to school five months after her accident, she will live a life of musculoskeletal weakening that will be progressive in nature, and will endure a lifetime of surgeries and limitations,” says attorney Robert Buccola.
Diabetic Driver Knows Blood Sugar Is Low And Causes Collision
Verdict: $3,695,978 | Amador County Superior Court | Tara Frisk v. Catherine Margaret Cowan
The defendant, age 53 at the time of the incident, denied liability both for causing the collision and for plaintiff’s damages. Defendant has been a Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetic since the age of 14, and on the evening of the collision, she blacked out from low blood sugar, crossed the centerline and struck the plaintiff’s vehicle.
Sacramento Jury Awards Record $34.9 Million For Injury
Verdict: $34.9 Million | Sacramento County | Hackett v. Silva Trucking, Inc.
On October 11, 2010, Mrs. Hackett was driving her bus on Highway 12 when the defendants’ semi-truck/trailer combination crossed over into the oncoming lane, colliding with Mrs. Hackett’s bus rendering her paralyzed from the waist down, also resulting in her suffering a major closed head injury.
Settlement | Placer County | Espinoza v. Squaw Creek Transportation, Inc.
In this bus accident case, dozens of Spanish speaking employees of Destination Tahoe Hotels, Inc. were being transported to work at a resort in Truckee from their homes in Reno when the bus operator fell asleep and lost control of the bus. The bus went off the road and rolled over.
Heavenly Ski Resort Settlement Changed Safety Procedures
Settlement: Confidential | El Dorado Superior Court in South Lake Tahoe | Dickson v. Heavenly Valley
The retrieval rope broke under high wind conditions, which were consistently in excess of the ZipRider’s operational parameters in the hours before Mark Dickson’s death. Heavenly’s poor maintenance of the rope also contributed to its failure. In the months prior to the accident, Heavenly abandoned the inspection practices mandated by the ZipRider’s manufacturer. On the day Mark Dickson died, the ZipRider was understaffed and no supervisor trained in the ride’s operation was present to ensure safety procedures were being followed.
