$425,000 Settlement For Motorist Severely Injured By Automobile Careening Across Median From Opposite Direction
About the Case
Our client was traveling northbound on Hwy 49 near Grass Valley in Nevada County. A southbound Toyota Prius nudged into a south-traveling tow truck which corrected its direction of travel to avoid crossing into the northbound lanes. The Prius ricocheted off the truck and crossed the double-painted yellow center lines into the path of our client’s Honda Civic. The “T-Bone” collision was so severe that both automobiles were totaled.
The CHP responded to an emergency call and, after conducting an investigation, concluded the primary cause of the three-car accident was the driver of the Toyota Prius. He acknowledged that he had been using his cellphone through the vehicle’s hands-free system at the time of the collision and had inadvertently veered into the adjacent lane occupied by the tow truck. Our client was taken from the accident scene by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
Case Facts
At the emergency department, our client was diagnosed as having sustained an open right calcaneal fracture; a closed severely comminuted, displaced left calcaneal fracture; and a displaced supination-adduction left ankle fracture. During the four days of hospitalization, the fracture sites were immobilized with internal fixation devices.
A month later additional surgical procedures were necessary. At Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, an open reduction of the right calcaneus fracture fragments was performed and internal fixation devices were emplaced.
A few months later, our client’s post-operative recovery was complicated by a breakdown of the surgical wound with exposure to the internal fixation hardware. Treatment of this condition required irrigation and debridement of the calcaneal osteomyelitis and a deep hardware removal procedure.
Eventually, our client was medically cleared to return to work. However, the development of severe post-traumatic arthritis accompanied by significant pain made it difficult to complete a full shift in his work as a nurse assistant, which required him to be on his feet for extended periods of time.
The GJEL law firm was retained to assist our client in recovering his lost income and medical expenses, which eventually totaled more than $357,000.00. Attorney Jim Larsen, through extensive investigation and negotiation, obtained the full policy-limit commitment of GEICO, the insurance carrier of the Toyota Prius. Additionally, Attorney Larsen negotiated a significant settlement contribution from Stratford Insurance Company, the insurer for the tow truck company. Enhancing the net recovery for our client, the GJEL attorneys obtained a compromise of the medical lien that was a fraction of its total.
| Insurance Company Names: | GEICO Stratford Insurance |
| Police Report | CHP |
| Vehicle Types | Honda Civic Toyota Prius Dodge Ram 5500 |
| Accident Locations: | Hwy 49, south of LaBarr Meadow Rd, near Grass Valley, Nevada County |
| Hospitals and Medical Centers Visited | Sutter Roseville Medical Center Shasta Orthopedics and Sports Redding Mercy Medical Center |
| Types of Injuries (Specific as possible) | Fractures right and left calcaneus Fracture left ankle |
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. Since 1972 he has been helping seriously injured victims throughout northern California fight & win their personal injury cases. Andy is one of the top awarded & recognized wrongful death lawyers in northern California.