Motor Vehicle Accident

On November 26, 2022, Ryen Motzek was traveling eastbound in a designated bike lane on Eddy Street in San Francisco when he was struck by a 2021 Honda Accord. The vehicle, owned by Dwight Hall and operated by Kendu Bomani, caused Motzek to suffer severe bodily injuries requiring immediate and long-term medical intervention. Motzek filed suit (Case No. CGC24611404) alleging both the driver's negligence and the owner’s negligent entrustment of the vehicle. Although the defense initially contested the allegations—citing contributory negligence and the statute of limitations—the parties ultimately reached a $420,000 settlement. This award compensates the plaintiff for past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering resulting from the collision.

A routine drive in Van Nuys turned into a life-altering disaster for brothers Stephen and Richard Paper when an LAPD cruiser slammed into their Toyota Camry at 80 miles per hour. The officer, a member of a street racing task force, had been traveling at nearly double the speed limit without his emergency lights or sirens activated. The impact was so severe that it launched the brothers' vehicle across the intersection of Balboa and Burbank Boulevards, striking multiple fixed objects before coming to a rest. Both brothers suffered catastrophic internal injuries and fractures that required extensive surgical intervention. While the City of Los Angeles initially raised defenses of comparative negligence, internal police records later confirmed that the crash was entirely avoidable had the officer maintained a safe speed. To avoid a jury trial, the City agreed to a historic $18,000,000 settlement to cover the brothers' lifelong medical expenses and trauma.

In August 2022, a routine visit to a Torrance parking lot ended in a fatal tragedy for Gary Ginn. While he was walking near Crenshaw Boulevard, Aileen Connett struck him with her Lexus GS350 while attempting a U-turn into a parking stall. Reports indicated that after the initial impact, the vehicle backed up and ran over Mr. Ginn a second time. The catastrophic injuries sustained during this double-impact incident led to his death twelve days later. His widow and four children filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging that the driver failed to maintain a proper lookout. Despite defense arguments suggesting the pedestrian shared responsibility for the accident, the parties reached a $10,000,000 settlement to resolve the claims of negligence and loss of companionship.

A Broward County jury returned a defense verdict in a motor vehicle collision lawsuit filed by Michael Taylor against Angel Manuel Santiago and Prospect Transportation, Inc. The Plaintiff alleged that Santiago negligently operated a company-owned vehicle that collided with his car on March 15, 2024, at 7105 W McNab Road. Taylor claimed permanent bodily injuries, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. The defense denied negligence and raised comparative fault, pre-existing conditions, and Florida's permanent injury threshold as affirmative defenses. On December 5, 2025, the jury found that Santiago's negligence was not a legal cause of Taylor's injuries, ending the case in favor of the Defendants with no damages awarded.

Melinda Desiree Harris sought justice after a traumatic collision at the intersection of Taylor and Turk Streets in San Francisco. On September 19, 2021, Harris was riding an electric scooter when she was struck by a vehicle operated by Gresha Monae Brown. Harris alleged that the City and County of San Francisco maintained a "dangerous condition" at the intersection, citing poor lighting and inadequate road markings that contributed to the crash. While a jury eventually agreed that the public property was indeed in a dangerous state at the time of the incident, they ultimately concluded that this specific hazard was not a substantial factor in causing Harris’s injuries. As a result, the Court entered a verdict in favor of the City.

On May 3, 2021, Christopher Patrick Gilliland was traveling eastbound on University Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida, when his vehicle was struck by a car driven by Kandie Melendez-Ortiz. The vehicle Melendez-Ortiz operated was owned by Duval Auto Sales LLC, which had granted her permission to drive it at the time of the collision. Gilliland filed suit in early 2023, alleging that the Defendants’ negligence caused him to suffer permanent bodily injuries, significant scarring, and a loss of earning capacity. Following a trial in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict in December 2025 totaling $2,893,003.57. This award included over $2.2 million for past and future non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and mental anguish.

The legal battle stemmed from a late-night collision on September 16, 2022, when Mohamed Tageldin and his passenger, Manar Abdelrhem, were traveling along Saw Mill Road in West Haven. Their vehicle was struck from behind by a car operated by Erik Vazquez. Claiming the impact resulted in permanent spinal injuries—specifically cervical and lumbar strains alongside lumbar radiculopathy—the pair sought additional compensation from their own insurer, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. They argued that the at-fault driver’s insurance policy was insufficient to cover their long-term medical needs and loss of life enjoyment. State Farm contested the extent of the injuries and raised defenses regarding previous payments and potential comparative negligence. On December 10, 2025, a Middlesex Superior Court jury delivered a total defense verdict, finding that State Farm was not liable for further underinsured motorist benefits for either plaintiff.

Following a 2021 chain-reaction crash in Rhode Island, Steven O’Donnell fought a multi-year legal battle against his own insurer, USAA Casualty Insurance Company. The collision occurred when an underinsured motorist slammed into the car stopped behind O’Donnell, propelling that vehicle into O’Donnell’s stationary car. After exhausting the at-fault driver’s policy limits, O’Donnell sought underinsured motorist benefits from USAA to cover his extensive medical bills and chronic spinal pain. When the insurer denied the claim and attempted to blame O’Donnell for the crash, a New Haven jury intervened, awarding him over $121,000 in damages.

A Contra Costa County jury awarded $382,403 to Rafael Leon after finding Briana Day negligent in the drunk driving death of his daughter Maricarmen Leon. On July 30, 2022, Day drove her RAM 1500 truck onto a Walnut Creek sidewalk while intoxicated at more than twice the legal limit, striking and killing Maricarmen Leon. Day previously pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter. The jury awarded $100,000 for past loss of companionship, $250,000 for future loss, and $32,403 for funeral expenses, but declined to award punitive damages.

A Duval County jury returned a $2.5 million punitive damages verdict against Ramon Gerardo Cerda for causing a fatal wrong-way collision on Interstate 295. Cerda drove his pickup truck southbound in the northbound lanes while intoxicated, striking and killing Nell Marie Behr in the early morning hours of January 14, 2023. The verdict reflected the jury's finding that Cerda acted with gross negligence and reckless disregard for human life.

Brothers Stephen and Richard Paper sued the City of Los Angeles and Officer Jason Stevenson after a harrowing collision in Encino. The plaintiffs alleged Officer Stevenson was driving his patrol vehicle at 80 mph in a 45-mph zone—without emergency lights or sirens—when he T-boned their vehicle as they made a left turn . The impact caused life-threatening injuries, requiring multiple surgeries for both brothers . The city agreed to an $18 million settlement to resolve the negligence claims.

A Miami-Dade County jury had issued a decisive verdict on April 22, 2025, after it had found Alexander Mosquera negligent for the collision that injured Raymond Del Valle. The lawsuit, filed against Mosquera and Tiger & Son Roofing Company, had centered on claims that the Defendant driver caused the crash and that the company bore vicarious liability as owner of the truck under Florida’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine. Jurors awarded $502,923.76 in total damages, including past and future medical expenses and significant non-economic damages for pain, disability, and impaired quality of life. The verdict had confirmed that Mr. Del Valle sustained permanent injuries and that Mosquera’s actions were the legal cause of his losses.