Grady Dillon v. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 

  • Court: California State, Los Angeles County, Superior Court
  • Case Number: 19STCV14977
  • Filed: April 30, 2019
  • Judges: Graciela Freixes | Michelle C. Kim
  • Case Type: Motor Vehicle – Personal Injury/Property Damage/Wrongful Death (General Jurisdiction)
  • Cause: Personal Injury

Parties Involved

 

Verdict Information

  • Verdict Date: March 22, 2024
  • Damages Awarded to Plaintiff: $11,045,000.00
    • Past medical expenses: $550,000.00
    • Future medical expenses: $720,000.00
    • Past lost earnings: $55,000.00
    • Future loss of earnings: $220,000.00
    • Past non-economic losses: $3,000,000.00
    • Future non-economic losses: $6,500,000.00

 

About the Case

Cause

As per article published in yahoo finance, in a tragic motorcycle collision in downtown Los Angeles, Grady Dillon, a 38-year-old motorcyclist, suffered severe injuries due to the negligence of a Department of Water and Power (DWP) employee. On the fateful morning of April 12, 2019, Dillon was riding his motorcycle when Manuel Medina, operating a department-owned van, made an unsafe left turn directly into Dillon’s path of travel.

Despite Dillon’s efforts to avoid the collision, Dillon crashed into the DWP van. Clear video evidence presented showed Medina’s fault in the Los Angeles motorcycle collision, and Medina himself admitted during deposition that he failed to look left before turning. However, the DWP denied all liability for the motorcycle collision, claiming that Dillon was at fault for allegedly driving 59 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour speed zone.

Injury

According to dailynews.com, Dillon’s motorcycle accident injuries were severe, sustaining multiple fractures to his pelvis, ribs, left wrist, and right foot, as well as a lacerated spleen and requiring 12 days of hospitalization and two major surgeries on his pelvis and wrist. He later spent nearly four months in an inpatient rehabilitation facility and underwent three additional surgical interventions, including a lumbar fusion and a wrist osteotomy. 

Damages

Now, at the age of 38, Dillon faces a lifetime of ongoing pain and physical limitations as a result of the motorcycle collision caused by the DWP employee’s negligence. Seeking justice and fair compensation, Dillon has retained the services of a skilled legal professional to represent him in this challenging case. 

Jury Verdict

 The jury awarded damages totaling $11,045,000.00. These damages include various components: past medical expenses amounting to $550,000.00, future medical expenses estimated at $720,000.00, past lost earnings totaling $55,000.00, and future loss of earnings capacity projected at $220,000.00.

Moreover, the judgment acknowledges non-economic losses suffered by Dillon, encompassing pain, mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, physical impairment, inconvenience, disfigurement, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress from April 12, 2019, to the present, valued at $3,000,000.00.

Additionally, future non-economic losses are recognized, covering similar elements for the next 34 years, quantified at $6,500,000.00. The court determined that Grady Dillon was indeed negligent but ruled that his negligence was not a substantial factor in causing harm.

Court Documents

Available upon  Request

Press Release

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/panish-shea-ravipudi-llp_verdict-alert-robert-glassman-tom-schultz-activity-7177063163853459457-Z17S/

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/jury-says-l-a-department-of-water-and-power-has-to-pay-11-million-for-drivers-role-in-near-fatal-crash/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/panish-shea-ravipudi-llp-obtains-183300202.html

https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/panish-shea-ravipudi-llp-obtains-an-11-million-jury-verdict-for-a-motorcyclist-struck-by-a-city-of-los-angeles-dwp-vehicle-a126c01d