The following is a brief list of verdicts and settlements which the law office of SS&F has obtained on behalf of their clients.
If you have suffered a brain injury, please visit our “Brain Injuries” page for advice.
$5.9 million settlement
A 70 year old bicyclist sustained a serious brain injury after hitting a defect bump on a county maintained road.
$5.5 MILLION SETTLEMENT
A 22 year old, mentally ill, homeless man sustained an anoxic brain injury after attempting suicide by hanging himself in the Santa Cruz County jail. He was hanging for 17 minutes before the guard noticed and cut him down leaving him in a vegetative state.
$3.5 million settlement
Award for couple who suffered severe brain injuries as a result of carbon monoxide from a landlord’s wall heater. Plaintiff successfully proved that the landlord had negligently inspected and maintained the wall heater.
$2.85 million settlement
A mentally ill and severely inebriated middle aged man refused to get off a Santa Cruz Metro bus in Watsonville after being told by the driver to leave. When the Watsonville Police arrived, an officer used a Taser X-26 electronic control device to subdue the client, discharging the stun gun three times. After the shock, the client went into cardiac arrest, rendering him unconscious for eighteen minutes and causing anoxic encephalopathy, a brain injury resulting in memory loss and decreased mobility, requiring attendant care. It is notable in that Taser International has claimed to have never offered or paid a dime in any products liability action alleging injury or death to a criminal suspect until this case: until this case.
$2.15 million settlement
Settlement for a 25-year-old female plaintiff injured when her car was hit by a U.S. Army Hemmet Wrecker, an eight foot wide, 32.5 foot long tow vehicle. The plaintiff’s injuries included multiple cognitive deficits, spasticity of the left foot and left hand, balance impairment, atrophy of the left shoulder girdle muscle, slight left foot drop secondary to ankle tendon contracture, and contracture of the left hand.
Because the plaintiff did not have liability insurance at the time of this accident, she was prevented by Proposition 213 from recovering general damages for pain and suffering. Based on a life care plan which was created for plaintiff, she will receive $2,148,697.00 in payout.
$2.2 million settlement
Settlement for a man who sustained head injuries in a fall on a construction site in Arizona. The contractor had put up inadequate railings.
$1.8 million settlement
Settlement for a man who sustained head injuries in an auto truck accident in Los Banos, California. The trucker failed to operate his rig in a safe fashion causing it to strike an automobile. The man suffered multiple head injury defects including memory loss, inability to concentrate or multi-task.
$1.1 Million settlement
Settlement for 23 year old who suffered a severe brain injury when his bicycle collided with a pickup truck in a dark intersection. Utility company failed to maintain the streetlight at the intersection in working condition, thus creating a dangerous condition.
$1 Million settlement
Recovery for a 73-year-old man who had suffered a dramatic brain injury prior to the instant accident as a result of a stroke. This gentleman was struck by a truck while j-walking in Watsonville, and there was initially no diagnosis of a head injury. The CT scan at the hospital was normal, and he was treated for a broken leg. However, after filing a lawsuit, experts in the field of neurology and neuroradiology were able to identify “microbleeds” in his brain. The source of those microbleeds was hotly contested – stroke versus traumatic brain injury – but on the eve trial a positive resolution was obtained for the client and his family.
$1 Million settlement
Settlement for 55 year old man who suffered a closed head injury in an automobile accident.
$602,000 settlement
Verdict against a King City Trucking Company for head injuries sustained by a woman in an auto/truck accident on Highway 101 in Monterey, California. The trucker had jack-knifed his rig across the highway at night without adequate reflectors on the truck.
$560,000 settlement
A middle-age man suffered an intracerebral hematoma after being punched by a guest at a party and then hitting his head as he fell to the ground. The plaintiff thereafter suffered from cognitive and emotional difficulties. Plaintiff demanded the homeowners policy limit of $300,000 in settlement, but the defendant offered $150,000. At trial the jury awarded $500,000 plus prejudgment interest of $60,958.00, all of which was paid.
