Accident Overview
On August 11, 2015, at 4:40 pm, our client was riding his motorcycle on Interstate 580 Eastbound, 0.6 miles west of Hacienda Drive. He was obeying the rules of the road, driving his 2007 Yamaha R6 when another driver hit him causing a serious accident. It resulted in the loss of work, serious injuries, and large medical bills.
About the Accident
This is a motorcycle versus automobile accident that caused serious injuries for our client due to the other driver’s negligence. The driver of the car that caused the accident was driving a 2013 Toyota Prius.
There were no adverse road conditions and the weather was clear. It happened when the other driver sideswiped our client.
After the accident, our client suffered a severe back injury and dental injuries as a result of the accident. He was transported by Paramedics Plus to Eden Medical Center in Dublin, CA.
The driver of the car that caused the accident was insured by Travelers Insurance and our client was insured by McGraw Insurance Services. Our client had a trauma activation at Eden Hospital, receiving CT scans and MRIs. He had severe lacerations to his upper left leg and his right front ankle, requiring stitches. Healing took a very long time and our client was off work for more than six months.
Case Facts
Our client needed ongoing medical treatment after the case, including wound care and physical therapy. At first, Travelers Insurance was taking the position that our client was partially at fault for this accident due to lane splitting. Our firm contended that lane splitting is legal in California and there was no negligence on our client’s part.
Our client missed a significant amount of work and had very large medical bills because he had no medical insurance at the time of the 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:
- Who is responsible for my medical bills?
- How will I pay these bills and deal with my loss of work?
- What if I have permanent lifelong damage to my body?
The staff at GJEL Accident Attorneys were quickly able to evaluate the case over the phone and were able to meet with the client to get the documentation started. Based on the serious injuries of this accident, loss of work, and 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 Accident Attorneys started a full investigation which began with getting the police report from the Dublin CHP and continued with our own private investigator and accident reconstruction experts. GJEL Accident Attorneys were able to counter the argument of Travelers Insurance that our client’s lane splitting caused part of the accident.
GJEL Accident Attorneys filed a lawsuit based on their knowledge that a case of this magnitude was going to require a lawsuit in order to get a fair resolution. As the firm continued to collect evidence, a fair settlement was reached between the client and the other driver’s insurance company prior to the date of trial. Attorney Jim Larsen helped our client through this difficult time and worked with the managing attorney, Andrew Gillin, to resolve this case before trial. In the end, our client was offered $250,000 and accepted this settlement.
| Insurance Company Names: | McCraw Insurance Services, Travelers Insurance |
| Police Report | Dublin CHP |
| Vehicle Types | 2007 Yamaha R6, 2013 Toyota Prius |
| Accident Locations: | I-580 just west of Hacienda Drive in Pleasanton, California |
| Hospitals and Medical Centers Visited | Paramedics Plus, Eden Medical Center, Alta East Bay Pathology, Central Valley Imaging Medical, Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, Altamont Emergency Physicians, Sutter Gould Medical Group, Doctors Hospital of Manteca |
| Types of Injuries (Specific as possible) | Suffered from pain to right elbow, right and left knee, right ankle, right top of the ankle, and left inner thigh. Laceration to the left leg. |
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.