California, Nevada and Arizona Auto Defect Lawyer
Rural Iowa Van Rollover, $18.3 Million Verdict
The Brandi Law Firm is pleased to announce that Daniel Dell'Osso of the Brandi Law Firm along with Kevin Quinn of San Diego and James Doyal of Houston, Texas today obtained an $18,349,391 verdict against Ford Motor Company following a three-week trial before the Hon. Phyllis Hamilton in United States District Court in San Francisco. Finding the seat latch system of the rear seat defective in the Ford 350 Econo van, the jury held Ford 100% responsible.
Plaintiff is Dax Pierson, a 34 year old musician with the band SUBTLE, who was rendered a quadriplegic in a rollover accident when the 15-passenger Ford E 350 van rolled over on an icy road. The band was traveling in the Midwest from its show in Denver to its next show in Chicago when the accident occurred on I 80 in rural Iowa. Pierson, who was wearing his seat belt and seated in a rear passenger seat, was injured when his seat came loose from the floor of the van due to a defective locking mechanism, and his head was thrown into the roof, causing severe spinal cord injuries. Pierson was the only one of the seven people in the vehicle who was injured.
Auto Defect, California $5,000,000 Settlement
Our California car defect lawyers mediated a $5,000,000 for a 35 year old musician against a rental company after the 15 passenger van in which he was a passenger careened off the highway, spun, and rolled over during a snowstorm in Iowa. The bench seat of the van separated from the floor, crushing the plaintiff's head into the roof resulting in a C5 burst fracture, spinal surgery, and rendering him a quadriplegic. We were able to demonstrate that the rental company failed to confirm that the bench seat was bolted to the floor prior to renting the van and failed to provide safety information and safe handling instructions to renters.
Eureka, California SUV Rollover
Confidential settlement for wife and adult children of Tony DelGrande, an over 30 year high school teacher in the Eureka school system who was killed when his SUV drifted off southbound 101 onto the shoulder. When he turned to the left back onto the road, the SUV rolled over several times resulting in his death and his wife's serious fractures. At the time, Mr. DelGrande was wearing a seat belt extender that was installed by the dealer which failed to provide adequate restraint. Judy DelGrande, the surviving widow, was a medical office manager prior to her injuries. She had fractures of her tibia, fibula, arm, and faces future knee replacement surgery.
San Diego, California Roll-Over and Roof Crush
Confidential settlement on behalf of a 36 year old construction worker/limousine driver who was rendered a complete quadriplegic in a solo vehicle rollover accident. The man, who was driving to church in San Diego County, was on State Route 94 just south of the I-805 overcrossing when his 2000 Pontiac Sunfire entered a left hand curve, and the rear of the vehicle went into a slide. The Sunfire left the road and rolled over crushing the roof onto him, rendering him a complete quadriplegic. We were able to demonstrate that the roof structure of the Sunfire, a J-car, was not strong enough to withstand the loads expected during foreseeable real world crashes.
Spinal Injury, Nevada
Confidential settlement on behalf of a 33 year old male in Nevada who fractured his spine at C-6, becoming an incomplete quadriplegic, in a single vehicle rollover accident. The man, who had recently been laid off from his job as a sheet metal worker, was driving on Southbound US6 39 miles north of Tonopah, Nevada in order to apply for a new job when his 2003 Mitsubishi Galant was forced off the road by a tractor-trailer and rolled over. As a result, the driver's seat collapsed inward and down, crushing his spine and causing his quadriplegia. The other passengers in the car were uninjured. We were able to establish that the car was not crashworthy and that its defective design caused this man's injuries.
SUV Roll Over, Brain Injury
Confidential settlement on behalf of an 18 year old mother of one who received serious injuries in a single car rollover accident. The young woman was driving her 1999 Chevrolet Blazer, 4 x4 northbound on Highway 5 just south of the Oregon border on her way to visit her mother. For an unknown reason, her car drifted toward the paved shoulder and when she attempted to re-enter the traveled portion of the roadway, the Blazer rolled 4-5 times before coming to rest. She sustained a fracture of C3 and C4 which required surgery and resulted in spastic left hemiparesis, as well as fractures of her femur, humerus, and heel. She also had significant brain swelling and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) which have left her with permanent cognitive deficits and an inability to fully care for herself and her child or maintain employment. We established that the Blazer, which has one of the lowest possible ratings in terms of stability and rollover resistance, would not have gone out of control except for its known handling and stability problems.
Valadez v. Navistar International Transportation Co.: (San Francisco County) $2,200,000 settlement for firemen who received multiple orthopedic injuries and a closed head injury due to a defectively manufactured and designed drive shaft.
Malloy v. Ford Motor Co. (Mendocino County) $3.9 million settlement for family of man killed due to a defective door latch and seatbelts in a rollover.
Khouja v. Showplace, policy limits settlement of $1,030,000 for wrongful death of infant due to defective brakes.
Individual vs Foreign Auto Manufacturer, a confidential settlement for a man paralyzed when his seat belt failed in a single vehicle accident.
