Truck Accidents Attorney in Los Angeles, California

$13.4 Million Trucking Accident Case: Accidents don’t “just happen”

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One of the more tragic case that we’ve handled was for the Gomez family and this family was a young man, his finance, and his mother were driving down the road and they were rear ended by an 18-wheeler. The mother was killed and the young woman lost her arm in the rollover that happened. One of the excuses I think the defense was trying to say is that you know, sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, accidents just happen. We reject that completely. I don’t think accidents just happen. I think they’re the result of choices or people who refuse to make choices.

And what we were able to show was that truck driver refused to make the safe choice of watching the road and seeing what’s there to be seen. Instead, I think he was lured into being a passive participant in the driving exercise. He’s just along for the ride instead of staying so vigilant on what’s ahead of him. And what was ahead of him was a beautiful family. And when he made the choice to not be an active participant that’s what he caused and that verdict reflected how I felt about it. That it wasn’t just wow, this is a tragic event or accident. Because although it was tragic indeed, it should never have happened. And I think that we were successful in showing that in court.

Los Angeles, CA personal injury attorney Thomas Johnston talks about a case he worked on involving a tragic accident where an 18 wheeler rear-ended a car. He explains that one of the most heart-wrenching cases we handled involved the Gomez family. This family, consisting of a young man, his fiancée, and his mother, was driving when their vehicle was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. Tragically, the mother lost her life in the collision, and the young woman suffered the devastating loss of her arm in the subsequent rollover. Throughout the trial, the defense attempted to attribute the incident to the idea that accidents are inevitable, mere happenstance. However, we vehemently rejected this notion.

We firmly believe that accidents are not random occurrences, but rather the consequences of choices made or the lack thereof. In this case, we were able to demonstrate that the truck driver consciously chose not to prioritize safety by attentively observing the road and its surroundings. Instead, he passively surrendered to the act of driving, failing to remain vigilant of the potential hazards ahead. Tragically, what lay ahead was a beautiful family. By choosing not to be an active participant, the driver caused an irreversible tragedy. The subsequent verdict accurately reflected our conviction that this was not simply an unavoidable accident, but a preventable tragedy. Our success in conveying this message within the courtroom brought a sense of justice to a devastating situation.

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