Automotive Product Liability (Crashworthiness)
Settlement
On August 12, 2016, Plaintiffs’ decedent was driving westbound on SR 12 near Byrnes Road in Walla Walla County. At the same time, a 1997 Cadillac Seville was being driven in the opposite direction on the same portion of road. The Cadillac swerved into the opposite lane and struck Plaintiff’s decedent head-on. The airbag in Plaintiffs’ decedent’s automobile failed to deploy due to a defective clockspring mechanism. Plaintiffs’ decedent passed away due to her injuries. She brought suit against the vehicle manufacturer as well as the driver of the Cadillac and his employers. Co-counsel Daniel Hess, Hess Law Office and Blaine Clooten, Clooten Law.
Settlement against car manufacturer and driver of other vehicle
On July 13, 2015, decedent was driving eastbound on State Route 508 in Lewis County while properly wearing his three-point seatbelt and driving within the posted speed limit. He was struck head-on by a drunk driver travelling in the opposite direction causing the vehicle to roll. During the rolling sequence, the roof of the vehicle crushed into decedents head while his safety harness simultaneously failed to prevent excessive excursion. Both of these design and manufacturing deaths led to the death of decedent. Co-counsel Jack Connelly and Micah LeBank Connelly Law Offices.
$3,537,500 settlement
A 24-year-old man, his wife, and daughter. The man’s 1989 Toyota pickup truck was struck by another vehicle whose driver had run a stop sign. As a result of defective after-market lift high wheels and tire design, his vehicle spun and rolled when struck, resulting in his ejection from his truck. He sustained catastrophic brain injuries that have left him in a persistent vegetative state. Co-counsel: Larry Barokas.
$1,800,000 multi-defendant settlement
The estate of a 37-year-old man who died from suffocation due to the collapse of the roof in his 1998 Ford Expedition, after his vehicle struck a guardrail and rolled over multiple times. Co-counsel: Mikal Watts.
Automotive Collisions
$3,516,401,58. settlement
A 79-year-old man and his 56-year-old daughter were slowing to make a left turn. The defendant failed to slow and rear-ended them pushing their car into the opposite lane where they were struck again. The father died shortly after arriving at the hospital and the daughter sustained serious injuries. Co-counsel: Patrick Gunning of Panish Shea & Boyle.
$950,000 settlement
A 20-year-old woman who was driving when she was struck by a large truck and trailer. The plaintiff was pinned and crushed in her vehicle. The plaintiff’s injuries included leg fractures, chest injuries, and facial lacerations.
$2,285,000 settlement
Three plaintiffs, ages 31, 40, and 45 years old, who suffered extensive burns, fractures, and physical disfigurement when a semi-tractor trailer rig caused a multi-car collision that included the plaintiffs’ vehicle.
$600,000 settlement
A 21-year-old man who was struck by a van while riding his motorcycle. The plaintiff suffered an arm amputation. Howell v. Rogers, et al.
$650,000 settlement
The estate of a passenger, who was fatally injured when her vehicle was struck by a truck, causing the decedent’s vehicle to move into oncoming traffic.
$300,000 settlement.
A drunk driver ran a red traffic light and struck the plaintiff’s vehicle, causing the plaintiff to suffer a C2 vertebrae fracture.
$300,000 settlement.
An inattentive driver crossed the center line of SR 101 and struck plaintiff’s vehicle, killing the plaintiff’s husband and 7-year-old daughter. Plaintiff and her 4-year-old son suffered multi-trauma injuries from the collision.
$650,000 settlement
The estate of a 62-year-old woman who died when she was struck from behind by a vehicle while walking her dog.
Bicycle Accidents
$14.2 Million Settlement
On March 13, 2015 at approximately 6:43 p.m., Plaintiff, an experienced bicycle rider, was riding her bicycle and wearing a helmet in the northbound lane on 50th Avenue South near South Ferdinand Street in Seattle, Washington, when the front tire of her bicycle suddenly locked up when the headlight became entangled in the spokes between the V stays and pulled the fender down against the wheel stopping rotation, and causing Plaintiff to go over the front of the handlebars. Plaintiff landed violently on the ground, striking her helmeted head on the pavement and causing Plaintiff to sustain severe spinal cord injuries, rendering her quadriplegic. Co-counsel Daniel Rottier and Eric Ryberg, Habush Habush & Rottier
$3,000,000 settlement
A 24-year-old woman who was on her bicycle in a crosswalk when she was struck and run over by a truck. The plaintiff suffered debilitating injuries to her lower extremities and major physical disfigurement. Co-counsel: James Hennessey.
Clergy and Other Sexual Abuse
$300,000 settlement against the Archdiocese of Seattle and St. Martin’s in relation to sexual abuse by a priest Plaintiff was abused from 1956-1957 while a student at St. Martin’s. The priest, Leonard Feeney, appears on the Archdiocese of Seattle’s published list of clergy “for whom allegations of sexual abused of a minor have been admitted, established or determined to be credible.”
$1,595,000 settlement
Four plaintiffs who had been sexually molested by a priest as minors.
$1,410,000 settlement
Four plaintiffs who were sexually molested by a priest as minors.
$1,112,500 settlement
Three plaintiffs who had been sexually abused by a priest as minors. The plaintiffs were 58, 59, and 60 years old at the time of the settlement.
$800,000 settlement
A plaintiff who was sexually molested by a priest as a minor.
$600,000 settlement
The estate of a 43-year-old man who committed suicide as a result of a childhood sexual abuse by a priest.
$430,000 settlement
A 64-year-old man was sexually abused by a priest as a minor.
$430,000 settlement
Three plaintiffs who were sexually molested when they, as teenagers, attended boarding school.
$375,000 settlement
A plaintiff was sexually molested by a priest as a minor.
$350,000 settlement
A plaintiff was sexually molested by a priest as a minor.
$270,000 settlement
A 65-year-old man was sexually molested by a priest as a minor.
Construction Site Accidents
$12,000,000 settlement.
Five workers were severely injured in an electrocution incident involving an NW Pipeline Corporation gas pipeline near Everett, Washington. Local counsel for Larry Boyd, Michael Shelton, and Kenneth Barnes.
$6,550,000 settlement.
Two construction workers were injured on a demolition site. Each one had a leg amputated as a result of severe injuries that were caused by a wall collapse.
Dog Bite Injury
$425,000 Settlement.
A young boy was bit on the cheek by a dog with an extensive history of aggressive behavior resulting in permanent scarring. Co-counsel Charles Desmond, Gibson, Mcaskill & Crosby.
Drug Product Liability
$1,000,000 settlement
A 40-year-old man who underwent multiple eye surgeries, including three corneal transplants, after using Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu with MoistureLoc Multi-Purpose Solution for contact lenses.
Foodborne Illnesses
$1,300,000 settlement
For the estate of a 3-year-old boy who died after he developed E. Coli poisoning from drinking unpasteurized Odwalla apple juice. Co-counsel: Ralph Brindley.
$650,000 settlement
A 5-year-old girl and her family, after the girl developed E. Coli poisoning from drinking unpasteurized Odwalla apple juice. The girl sustained permanent kidney damage from the poisoning.
Foster Home Negligence
$2,500,000 settlement
Two siblings, ages 5 and 3, who were sexually molested by their foster parent after the Washington State Department of Child Protective Services removed them from their biological mother’s care.
Government Liability
$750,000 settlement
A 22-year-old woman who received pelvic, liver, and lung injuries when her car was rear-ended and forced into oncoming traffic by a driver in a stolen vehicle. The driver in the stolen vehicle was being pursued by a police officer in a high-speed chase at the time of the collision.
$690,000 settlement
The estate of a 15-year-old male high school student who killed himself with a gunshot to the head. A psychologist who worked for the school district failed to take reasonable preventative measures to stop the student after he was informed that the student was suicidal.
Helmet Design
$1,000,000 settlement
The estate of an 11-year-old girl who was wearing an equestrian helmet that slipped back on her head and failed to protect her when she struck her head on a tree while riding a horse. The girl suffered a traumatic brain injury and later died.
Highway Design
$343,677 verdict
The estate of a 32-year-old woman who fell through an opening between bridges due in part to the defective design of the bridge.
Medical Negligence
$2,000,000 settlement
The estate of a 34-year-old man whose heart condition was misdiagnosed. As a result of the misdiagnosed heart condition, the decedent died from a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm.
$1,500,000 settlement
A 76-year-old man and his family; the man’s spinal cord injuries were misdiagnosed twice after he was in an automobile accident. Co-counsel: David Hoffman.
$625,000 settlement
The parents of an 8-day-old infant who died when doctors failed to properly deliver the infant through a cesarean section. IM v. Doe Health Care Facility.
$300,000 settlement
A 35-year-old man who, after recently experiencing a dizzy spell, was negligently given spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, resulting in the patient having a stroke.
Nursing Home Malpractice
$700,000 settlement
The estate of a 67-year-old woman who died of hypothermia after being locked out of her nursing home overnight.
Premises Liability
$1,250,000 settlement
A 9-year-old girl. The girl was kicked in the head by a horse, while on a horse farm when she was negligently supervised by an employee. As a result of the kick, the girl has a severe brain injury. Co-counsel: Larry Barokas.
$750,000 settlement
A 47-year-old woman. The woman was waiting in line for coffee at an airport restaurant when a heavy sheet of glass fell on her foot causing fractures, and complex regional pain syndrome.
Product Liability
$1,500,000 settlement
A 40-year-old woman who suffered burns while attempting to start a fire with Eco-Char, an organic fire starter. Co-counsel: Dwayne Richards and Reed Schifferman.
