$375,000 For Passenger Injured When Car Careens Into Utility Pole After Driver Loses Control During High-Speed Turning Movement.
About the Case
Our client was the passenger in the right front seat of a Mercury Grand Marquis as the driver made a right turn on a city street at high-speed attempting a controlled skid maneuver.
The car started fishtailing, the driver lost control and the car spun out. Rotating counterclockwise across the oncoming traffic lane, the car struck a utility power pole with such force that it crushed the right side of the car two feet into the passenger compartment. Our client was trapped in this compressed space and, upon regaining consciousness, was immediately aware of severe pain.
He was extricated from the crushed automobile by a good Samaritan and the driver. They attempted to assist our client to walk to the driver’s nearby home, but the injuries and the pain were overwhelming. Transported by ambulance to Eden Medical Center, our client was seen in the emergency department complaining of severe pain in his back, in his pelvis, and head, which was bleeding from a laceration. He was experiencing numbness in his left leg and groin, and he had lost consciousness when the car collided with the utility pole.
Case Facts
Our client was admitted to Eden Hospital where he remained for five days. X-rays and CT scans revealed a renal contusion, displaced fractures of the right acetabulum, and a fracture of the left sacrum. He remained in the hospital for five days, for observation and to rule out surgical repair of the pelvic fractures. He was also started on a physical therapy program.
Following discharge, our client continued to experience low back and buttock pain, as well as intermittent left leg pain. He was periodically treated by an orthopedic surgeon over the next several months. The low back pain persisted and was not markedly improved by physical therapy.
When he retained the GJEL ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS, our client had two questions:
- Could he recover his medical expenses from the driver’s insurance company?
- Could he recover the estimated cost of future medical treatment?
Attorney Jim Larsen negotiated with the automobile owner’s insurance company, and later, with the State Farm attorneys, to obtain a maximum policy payout after establishing that our client had incurred significant expenses for medical treatment for the injuries sustained in the accident. Through the evaluations and testimony of medical experts, Attorney Jim Larsen was able to convince the insurance company that the financial recovery, also, must include funds to pay for extensive medical treatment in the future.
| Insurance Company Names: | State Farm |
| Police Report | Fremont Police Department |
| Vehicle Types | Mercury Grand Marquis |
| Accident Locations: | Shinn St. near the intersection with Von Euw Common, Fremont CA Hospitals and Medical Centers Visited Eden Medical Center San Leandro CATypes of Injuries (Specific as possible) Pelvic Fractures Renal Hematoma (bruised kidneys) Degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine Closed head injury |
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.