Construction worker death
Settlement: $3,850,000
A construction worker was killed when a boom detached from a forklift and struck him in the head (Fernandez v. Sunstate Equipment Co., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Bruce M. Brusavich).
Bicycle v. tractor-trailer
Settlement: $5,815,000
A 76-year-old bicyclist required a leg amputation after he was struck in an intersection by a tractor-trailer (McClellan v. Gutierrez, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Christopher R. Aitken).
Motorcyclists injured
Verdict: $3,548,805
Two motorcyclists suffered massive injuries when they ran over a wheel/tire assembly that had fallen onto the highway (Campbell v. Livestock, Sacramento County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: P. Terry Anderlini).
Pulmonary embolism
Verdict: $2,772,680
A 58-year-old woman died as a result of the failure of her physician to diagnose a pulmonary embolism (Ajdari v. Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Todd J. Bloomfield).
Fatal crush injuries
Verdict: $3,297,464
A 40-year-old pest control worker was crushed to death against a loading dock wall he was inspecting by a tractor-trailer backing into the dock (Perez v. Northern Refrigerated Transportation Inc., Orange County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Matthew McNicholas).
Highway pedestrian
Verdict: $7,284,000
A bus driver refueling his vehicle on the side of a highway was killed when struck by the trailer of a big rig that collided with another big rig (Haen v. Logos Group, Fresno County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Roger A. Dreyer).
Worker fall
Settlement: $3,025,000
A worker was injured in a fall when a forklift at a construction site struck the scaffold he was standing on, causing it to collapse (Ojeda v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Steven B. Effres).
Rollover fatality
Settlement: $1,240,000
One of a group of students returning to campus was ejected and killed after the driver fell asleep at the wheel and rolled his SUV (Wasson v. Garrett, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Stephen M. Joyce).
Intersection collision
Verdict: $3,753,651
A 74-year-old farmer was severely injured when his truck was struck by a vehicle that failed to stop at a stop sign (Maseba v. Mosqueda, Fresno County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Warren R. Paboojian).
Forklift Accident
Settlement: $2,850,000
A security guard sustained massive injuries when a forklift lacking a backup alarm knocked him down and ran over him (Walker v. Westside Building Materials, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: David R. Olan).
Table collapse
Settlement: $1,000,000
A customer sitting at a table on a restaurant patio was injured when the table broke at its base, causing him to fall to the ground (Godales v. San Pedro Fish Market, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff’s attorney: Otto L. Haselhoff).
Editor’s Note: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California provided by Trials Digest. To report your case results, go to west.thomson.com/trialsdigest/form.aspx or call 415-344-3952.
