Young Man Injured While a Passenger in Friend’s Vehicle 1

Accident Overview

On July 23rd, 2017, our client was a passenger in a friend’s vehicle on Overhill Road in Orinda, CA. Our client was sitting in the front passenger seat when his friend lost control of his vehicle, went off the side of the road and smashed into a concrete pillar, and flipped over. The accident resulted in the loss of work, serious injuries, and large medical bills leaving our client in a very difficult situation.

About the Accident

This was a one-car accident that resulted in serious injuries for our client due to his friend’s negligence. The driver of the car that caused the accident was driving a 2013 Honda Accord.

There were no adverse road conditions.

After the accident, our client suffered from severe back pain and dental injuries, in addition to facial scarring and a concussion. Our client was transported to Highland Hospital in Alameda County where he underwent treatment for these injuries. The car that caused the accident was insured by State Farm Insurance.

Case Facts

Our client needed ongoing medical treatment after the case including a spinal fracture, an injury to his head, a broken nose, glass embedded in his lower lip, and facial lacerations. At first, Farmers Insurance was not willing to pay for our client’s medical bills and other damages.

Our client missed a significant amount of work and was charged large medical bills from this accident. Based on this information, he reached out to GJEL Accident Attorneys to see if he was entitled to compensation and to have his questions answered. He wanted to know:

  1. Who is responsible for my medical bills?
  2. How will I pay these bills and the loss of work?
  3. What if I have permanent lifelong damage to my body?

Based on the serious injuries from this accident and the mounting medical bills, our client decided to retain GJEL Accident Attorneys to help get his life back on track after this tragic accident.

The staff at GJEL started a full investigation which started with getting the police report from the Orinda Police Department. The police report showed that the driver of the car that our client was in was 100% at fault and responsible for the accident.

At first, the party at fault’s insurance company was not taking full responsibility for the damages caused by the wrongdoer and offered our client $150,000. As the firm continued to collect the evidence and report the treatment to the insurance company, they changed their mind before having to go to trial.

Attorneys Andy Gillin and Jim Larsen helped our client through this difficult time and ultimately were able to settle this case without litigation. In the end, our client was awarded $875,000 for this accident after aggressive representation.

Insurance Company Names:    State Farm
Police Report  Orinda Police Department
Vehicle Types  2013 Honda Accord
Accident Locations:Overhill Road in Orinda, CA
Hospitals and Medical Centers Visited Moraga Orinda Fire Dept
John Muir Med Center
John Muir ER Physicians
Bay Imaging Consultants
Medical & Aesthetic Dermatology
Lafayette Optometry Group
Diablo Neurosurgical Med Group
Berkeley-Orinda Oral Surgery
Sports Medicine and Rehab
University of California, San Diego Neurological Institute
Physiotherapy Associates
Orinda Family Chiropractic
G Sports Physical Therapy
Alta Bates Summit Magnetic Imaging
Kaiser Oakland Medical Center
NorCal Imaging Oakland
Spinecare Medical Group
Types of Injuries (Specific as possible) Spinal fx C1, C5, closed head injury, teeth, broken nose, lacerations, glass embedded in the lower lip

Author Photo

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.