Severe Injury Settlement Over Collapsing Gate Incident
Table of Contents
Case Background
This civil lawsuit arose from a late-night accident behind a commercial center in Stanton, California. Plaintiffs Christopher Huynh and his wife, Christine Vu, brought the action in Orange County Superior Court. They claimed that a 60-foot manual sliding gate, installed behind the property where Huynh operated his restaurant and banquet business, collapsed on him during closure. The incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. on March 26, 2023, after an event at Crystal Restaurant & Banquet.
The couple argued that the Defendants California Properties Commercial Management, Inc., property managers Hamid Eghrari and Roy Egari, and the Egari Family Trust controlled, maintained, and oversaw the premises, including the parking lot where the gate stood. They said the Defendants insisted that Huynh close the heavy manual gate each night to keep transients out. Other tenants earlier complained that the gate was unsafe, but no corrections were made.
The case moved through discovery for more than a year before the parties reached a settlement shortly before trial.
Cause
The complaint stated that the Defendants installed the large metal gate without proper permitting or qualified labor. The gate required physical strength to slide open and closed, and tenants reported that it felt unstable. According to the Plaintiffs, the Defendants ignored these warnings.
Huynh followed instructions, walked to the gate after the event, and attempted to slide it shut. The gate suddenly toppled toward him. Because of its size and weight, it pinned him to the ground and crushed his back and ribs. A vendor’s employee saw Huynh lying on the ground, bleeding and unable to move. The witness called Vu, who immediately called 911.<
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