In this case, GJEL Accident Attorneys represented the husband and adult children of a 52-year old woman killed in an auto accident on Interstate 80. The woman was a passenger in a car driven by her husband when they were rear-ended by a large pickup truck.
The defendant in this case was the employer of the truck’s driver. The defendant argued that our client, the woman’s husband, was responsible in large part for the wrongful death of his wife because he had turned the car’s wheels to the right and was starting an unsafe lane change at the moment of impact. The defendant further contended that this action caused our client’s Chevy Blazer to move at a right angle, across traffic, where it was broadsided by another car. In the defendant’s opinion, had our client had his wheels straight when he was struck, it would have been “nothing more than a minor accident.”
GJEL deposed all of the available witnesses, including the two California Highway Patrol officers who were responsible for investigating the car accident. We also worked with the CHP officer who had originally developed, and then trained CHP officers in the use of, the advanced techniques used by the CHP to investigate complex motor vehicle accidents. Largely due to the testimony of this expert, we were able to establish that our client’s car was stopped at the moment of impact, that the actions of our client were not negligent. Futhermore, we established that the physical evidence indicated that it was the severity of the rear-end impact by the defendant’s truck that generated the force and vehicle direction which resulted in the fatal accident.
SETTLEMENT:The case was settled before trial for $1,750,000.
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.