Case Background

Briana Booth was seriously injured in a traffic collision on February 12, 2018, in Lancaster, California. The crash involved drivers Samantha Delano and Linda Fowler. Witnesses reported that Fowler was speeding and failed to notice a vehicle slowing ahead of her. She braked suddenly and swerved left.

Delano, driving behind Fowler, was allegedly following too closely and could not stop in time. Her vehicle rear-ended Fowler’s truck, then careened across several lanes of traffic. Booth, traveling in a separate lane, swerved to avoid Delano’s vehicle, hit the median, and her car flipped over.

The investigating officer blamed Delano for the rear-end crash. However, witnesses mainly faulted Fowler for inattention and speed.

Cause

Both Delano and Fowler were accused of negligence. Fowler allegedly drove too fast and failed to react in time. Delano allegedly followed too closely and drove too fast to stop safely.

Their combined actions led to a collision that forced Delano’s car into Booth’s path. Booth tried to avoid the crash but lost control and overturned her vehicle.

Booth suffered multiple injuries, the most severe being a shattered L3 vertebra in her spine. She underwent major spinal surgery, during which doctors replaced the vertebra with a metal cage and fused surrounding bones.

Despite the procedure, Booth experienced chronic pain, nerve damage, and partial paralysis in her legs. Doctors testified that her condition would likely worsen over time.

Damages

Booth’s past medical expenses exceed $250,000. Her estimated future medical care costs were over $5 million.

She continued to suffer phy