Transportation
Verdict: $2.9 Million
Auto Accident - Pedestrian
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A 22-year-old UCLA student was walking in a marked crosswalk when she was struck and thrown in the air 25-feet by a car driven by a Mexican movie star. She sustained a brain injury and a fracture of her knee. We obtained a verdict at trial of $2.9 million for our client.
Settlement: $2.0 Million
Auto - Freeway Accident
Wrongful Death
Our clients’ son, an 18-year-old college student, was on the freeway when his car spun on the rain drenched road and stalled in one of the lanes of traffic. While waiting for assistance, the young man waited in his car and was struck from behind by a truck that penetrated the passenger compartment of the car and killed him. We obtained a $2 million settlement for his surviving family.
Settlement: $1 Million
Auto Accident – Freeway Collision
Neck Injury
While stopped in traffic on the 5 freeway in Castaic, our client was in a rear-end collision. The impact caused our client’s seat to break and made him strike his head on the door. His neck injury required surgical repair and we were able to obtain a $1 million settlement for his injuries.
Settlement: $700,000
Auto Accident
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
While a passenger in a car driven by a high-school friend, our client, an 18-year-old male, was injured when the car careened off the road and rolled down an embankment. In addition to receiving extensive sprains and strains in the accident, our client suffered post-traumatic stress, leading to a three day hospitalization in a psychiatric unit. A few days before trial, we obtained a $700,000 settlement for our client.
Settlement: $300,000
Pedestrian-Auto Accident
Bone Fracture and Orthopedic Surgery
While walking in a crosswalk, our client was hit by a car. She sustained a comminuted fracture of her tibia and fibula requiring the placement of a plate and screws in her leg. We settled the case with the defendant for $300,000 which was the policy limit.
Settlement
Pedestrian-Truck Accident
Traumatic Brain Injury
While crossing Sunset Boulevard in
Settlement: $900,000+
Bus Accident
Amputation of Fingers
A passenger on a Super Shuttle airport bus that was involved in an accident suffered the amputation of several of her fingers. We obtained a near-million dollar settlement against the airport shuttle company, which had limited insurance coverage.
Settlement: $425,000
Bus Accident
Fibromyalgia
A 38-year-old attorney was injured when a bus that she was riding in side-swiped a car. As a result of the accident, our client fell off the seat onto the floor and later developed fibromyalgia, a pain disorder that affects many parts of the body. The case was settled for $425,000 shortly before trial.
Settlement: $750,000
Horse-Drawn Carriage Rollover
Shoulder Injury
While staying at a Santa Barbara-area resort, our client went for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage which overturned when its wooden wheels buckled when making a turn. The injuries he sustained required multiple surgeries on both shoulders. To obtain compensation for his injuries, we investigated and gathered evidence on previous similar accidents, manufacturing practices and vehicle designs by the Canadian carriage maker. We were able to obtain a $750,000 settlement for our client right before trial was scheduled to begin.
Pending
Cruise Ship Accident
Shoulder Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
While at sea off the coast of
Pending
Railroad Accident – Chatsworth Metrolink
Cervical Injuries, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Currently representing a young man who was a passenger on the Chatsworth Metrolink train that crashed in September 2008. Our client was thrown through the train compartment head first which resulted in serious cervical and back injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Settlement: $600,000
Railroad Accident - FELA
Traumatic Brain Injury
Our client, an on-duty police officer employed by a railroad, pulled his patrol car to the side of the road in order to inspect an overpass for the presence of thieves. After unbuckling his seatbelt to begin his exit, his car was struck from behind by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel. The impact threw our client into the gun rack positioned above his head and our client suffered a brain injury. Our lawsuit against the railroad was under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) because of the improper positioning of the gun rack. We obtained a $600,000 recovery settlement for our client.
Settlement: $300,000
Railroad Accident - FELA
Neck Injury
A railroad employee was stepping from one car to another when he was thrown against the train due to a defective connection between cars. He injured the discs in his neck from the violent movement of a train. We filed suit under FELA and recovered $300,000 for our client.
Damage Award: $4.5 Million
Aviation - Helicopter Midair Collision
Severe Orthopedic Injuries
Our client, a 22-year-old Marine and Iraqi war veteran, was on a pilot-training exercise at Torrance Municipal Airport when his Robinson helicopter collided midair with another helicopter, killing the two people aboard the other aircraft.
In the crash, the young man broke every bone in his body from the waist down, was in a coma for three weeks and suffered compartment syndrome which required him to have open wounds for an extended time. Nearly every bone in his lower body needed orthopedic instrument repair.
In our relentless investigation into the cause of the accident, we challenged NTSB and FAA findings blaming the pilots and conducted independent detailed crash analysis. The judge in the bench trial ruled the air traffic controllers negligent and entirely responsible for the injuries and loss of lives and our client received a $4.5 million damage award.
Pending
Aviation - Hawthorne Airport Crash
Wrongful Death
Currently representing surviving family of the pilot killed in July 2009
Pending
Aviation
Wrongful Death
Representing surviving family of pilot of Piper Navajo PA 31 that crashed after the aircraft engine’s failure following take off from North Las Vegas airport.
Settlement: $550,000
Aviation - Continental Airline
Traumatic Brain Injury
While in her seat in the cabin of the airplane, our client, an oral surgeon, was struck in the head by an object being removed by a flight attendant from the overhead bin. The blow to the head caused a traumatic brain injury to our client and dramatically reduced her ability to function at work, including a loss of memory and personality alterations. Right before the trial was to start, the airline agreed upon a $550,000 settlement for our client.
Settlement: $350,000
Aviation - Southwest Airlines Burbank Airport Runway Overrun
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When Southwest Airlines Flt 1455 overshot the runway in March 2000, the ensuing panic included the escape slide inflating inside the cabin, collapsed nose gear and the flight attendants’ seats collapsing and preventing them from assisting in the evacuation. We represented several of the 143 people who suffered serious injuries in this runway incident, and we forced Southwest Airlines to be accountable for the way they maintained and operated its flight.
Settlement: $250,000
Aviation - In-flight Injury, Animal in Cabin
Herniated Disc Injury
A monkey used in scientific lab work was being transported in the cabin of a commercial airline. It left its carrier, leaped onto a passenger’s lap, startled him and caused him to jump and injure his back and spine. We recovered a $250,000 settlement from the airline for its unsafe practice and injury to our client.
Settlement: $200,000
Bicyclist
Hand Injury
Our client was a bicyclist training for a triathlon when a driver made a wide right turn directly in front of our client, causing a collision and throwing our client off his bike. We were able to obtain a settlement of $200,000 for his injuries which included lacerations and a severed tendon in his right thumb which required outpatient surgery.
Settlement: $85,000
Bicycle Injury - Dangerous Road Conditions, Government Entity
Broken Bones
A bicyclist cycling down Tierra Rejada Road in Simi Valley hit a pothole in the road, propelling him off the bicycle and causing him to break his collarbone and ribs, and sustain additional multiple injuries. We sued the
Pending
Motorcycle Injury – Harley Wobble
Traumatic Brain Injury
We represented the experienced rider of a Harley Davidson motorcycle who was severely injured in a case of "Harley Wobble" - instability of the rear wheel - and challenged the company’s management of the widely known problem.