Orange County Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyers and Attorneys
Helping victims of personal injury and wrongful death since 1986
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We invite you to click here to review client testimonials and case results…
Family ski trips are suppose to be fun and filled with lifelong memories. Unfortunately for our three young clients, this trip was tragically different. Here’s their story.
While driving down the 91 Riverside freeway on the way to the local ski resort in Big Bear, California, the family van lost traction on the slick highway surface and skidded to a stop sideways on the freeway. Approaching vehicles slowed and easily made their way around the right and left side of the stopped van.
Before the family could take evasive action, an approaching semi tractor trailer truck was driving too fast for the wet surfaced roads. The driver wasn’t paying attention. Unable to stop in time, it struck the van broadside seriously injuring the 3 young children and instantly killing their wonderful mother and loving father.
The trucking company and its insurance company originally denied responsibility for the loss. After carefully reviewing the traffic collision report, we determined this collision could have easily been avoided and that the truck driver was at fault. We recommended to our clients to allow us to file an Orange County Superior Court lawsuit.
During the course of litigation and our related investigation, we uncovered the name of a previously unknown off-duty emergency paramedic who just happened to also be on his way up to the ski resorts. He reported that before the collision and while traveling North on the 5 Freeway, the large semi tractor trailer truck had sped past him at an unsafe speed for the wet weather conditions. In fact, the truck driver was going so fast that it actually upset the paramedic and so he followed the truck for awhile until it pulled ahead of him in the rain. He then came upon the accident scene shortly thereafter. With this paramedic’s deposition testimony, we were able to settle the case for $1,000,000.00 shortly before trial.
Because our clients were minors and to protect the children’s financial interest in the settlement, the settlement funds were placed into court approved structured settlement annuities providing the children with a substantial monthly income for many years to come. Food, shelter, clothing and a good education are now available to our three young clients. A superior court judge reviewed and approved the settlement and also determined it was in the best interest of the young clients.
Looking back, this was a case that went from an offer of zero and complete denial of liability to a $1,000,000 settlement. Sure, it took a bit of hard work by this firm, but we can report that knowing justice was served and helping secure a stable financial future for our clients was worth every ounce of effort.
If you have a legal question that you would like answered, please give us a call. We’ve been helping victims of personal injury and wrongful death since 1986 and chances are, we can help you too!
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Click here to watch video about this tragic case…
A true story about one of our very sad wrongful death cases…
The family was on their way up to Big Bear to go skiing. Although it was raining in Orange County, they knew that fresh snow would be waiting for them at Snow Summit ski resort.
Unfortunately, they never made it. Here are the details about how we were able to help the three surviving children [transcript of case here]…
Earlier this month we had the opportunity to help several clients resolve their personal injury cases. Both matters involved one to two years of litigation and both cases were settled shortly before trial.
In the first case we represented a motorcycle rider who was seriously injured after being involved in a collision with a large semi-trailer truck. Our client was safely and lawfully proceeding down a road on his way home from work. He observed the semi-trailer truck parked on the side of the road and well ahead of him.
As he approached the area where the truck was parked, the truck began to move forward and pulled on to the roadway. Our client believed the truck was simply going to unsafely merge in to the far outside lane and continue with its direction of travel. Our client changed lanes and continued traveling forward in the lane closest to the center section of the road.
What happened next turned in to a life-changing nightmare. Rather than continue moving forward, the truck unexpectedly attempted to make an illegal u-turn directly in front of our client and other approaching vehicles. Our client was very attentive and rather than slamming into the side of the truck, he put his bike down and slid underneath the trailer section of the truck avoiding a direct impact. Had he not done so, our client was have sustained fatal injuries on impact.
Our client described his actions as the type of thing you might see in a movie– a movie he wishes he was never in.
Unfortunately, when he slid underneath the trailer, his shoulder struck a low hanging piece of metal that resulted in him sustaining major injuries to his shoulder and other body parts. During the fall, our client also sustained other serious injuries relating to bruising and road rash.
In another case, our firm represented a wonderful elderly woman who was a negligent free passenger in the back seat of a Land Rover being driven by her son-in-law. After the driver fell asleep at the wheel, the vehicle collided in to the back of a truck that had stopped on the freeway.
Despite being seat belted in, the force of the collision resulted in our client sustaining injuries to her knees, shoulder, face and mouth.
Before this collision, our client enjoyed traveling and being active. After the collision she suffered constant pain and had to change her daily habits.
The good news is that with the assistance of a very experienced retired Superior Court Judge and outstanding Judicate West Mediator, we were able to resolve the case one week before trial. We’re also happy to report that all is well between our client and her son-in-law.
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