 |
|
Record $27 Million Jury Award Against City and County of San Francisco for Pedestrians in Muni Crash
The eight-woman, four-man jury awarded over $27 million in compensatory damages against the city of San Francisco after determining that the truck's driver, Sebastian Garcia, was negligent and that he was 100 percent responsible for the accident. The jury heard over three weeks of testimony and deliberated for five full days. The victim's mother, Sylvia Lopez Dominguez, father, Humberto Dominguez, and two friends, Monica Valencia and her grandmother, Candelaria Valencia, were represented by the Los Angeles law firm of Panish, Shea & Boyle by Brian J. Panish and Kevin R. Boyle and the Law Offices of Kirk B. Bernard, also in Los Angeles. Little Elizabeth Dominguez died of head injuries after Garcia's truck pinned her against the wall of a pizza restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District on Feb. 11, 2003. During trial, six eyewitnesses testified that Garcia deliberately ran a red light and attempted to accelerate through the intersection when his truck was struck by another vehicle and jumped the sidewalk where Elizabeth and her mother and friends were walking home from preschool. After the verdict was read, plaintiff's attorney Brian Panish noted that he requested a letter of apology from the Mayor for the families and the request was denied. "City officials still have never said they were sorry for the horror that Garcia's negligence caused these families," Panish said. This verdict was the second consecutive verdict in the last two months for Brian Panish that exceeded $25 million. |
Product Defects
Business Litigation
Aviation Disasters
Pharmaceutical Litigation
Corporate Fraud
Government Liability
General Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Automotive / Tire Defects
ATV/ Rhino Rollovers
Latest Firm NewsTilton v. Sempra - $15 million verdict for brain injury to minor resulting from a power company truck hitting a family vehicle. Dominguez v. San Francisco - $21 million settlement while case was on appeal. Wrongful death of 4 year-old girl. Largest settlement ever paid by San Francisco. Contreras v. State of California - $9 million settlment for amputation caused by a damaged freeway guardrail. Don Gino Dominguez v. South Central Los Angeles Regional Care Center - $2 million verdict for wrongful death of a mentally and physically disabled 39 year-old man. Health care center left man unsupervised and he choked to death. Doe v. Driver - $5.5 million settlement for death of pedestrian in an auto accident. Doe v. Oil Refinery - $6.2 Million settlement for wrongful death and personal injury caused by the collapse of tank floating roof. Avila v. Dresick Farms - $5.64 million dollar jury verdict for girl injured in truck v. van collision. Believed to be the largest verdict in the history of Imperial County, California. Konrad, et al. v. Hewlett-Packard - Lawsuit filed against Hewlett-Packard for pretexting journalists and their families Chief Warrant Officers v. Boeing, et al. - $13.55 million settlement for Army maintenance officers severely injured in the crash of Apache Longbow helicopter on a maintenance test flight during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Roes v. Doe Auto Manufacturer: confidential multimillion dollar settlement on behalf of a family involved in on-road rollover of sport utility vehicle. Does v. Van Manufacturer and Rental Company - Confidential multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of the survivors and family members of 14 church group members involved in a fifteen passenger van rollover. Hill v. Titan Tire - Confidential multi-million dollar settlement for a 42 year old man who sustained brain injuries following a tire failure on his vehicle. Dominguez v. San Francisco - $27.4 Million Verdict - Mother and 6 others witnessed a city truck driver run over her daughter on a sidewalk. City completely denied responsibility. Largest verdict ever against the City of San Francisco. Sherman v. Courrege - $25.5 Million Verdict - Wrongful death of mother, father, and son hit by a drunk driver. Sorenson v. Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway - $2.8 Million Verdict - Plaintiffs were parents of a 48 year-old man killed when a freight train crashed into a commuter train. Doe v. Auto Manufacturer - Major Confidential Settlement Fuel fed fire caused by defectively designed 15 passenger van rollover. Many occupants killed or severely burned. Flores v. Continental Tire - Major Confidential Settlement - Woman sustained paraplegia when the right rear tire on the family's Ford Windstar van experienced a tread belt separation, causing the vehicle to roll over. |
SAN
FRANCISCO, Sept. 1 -- A San Francisco Superior Court jury returned a verdict
of over $27 million ($27,394,567) today for the victims of a Municipal Railway
truck crash on February 11, 2003 that killed 4-year-old Elizabeth Dominguez
and injured and severely traumatized her mother, the little girl's best friend
and her best friend's grandmother.Copyright © 2008 Panish, Shea & Boyle, LLP - Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyers - Los Angeles Trial Attorneys - All rights reserved.
Personal Injury Lawyer Disclaimer: The personal injury, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, or other legal information presented at this site should not be considered formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Please note that you are not considered a client until you have signed a retainer agreement and your case has been accepted by us.