Abramson Smith Waldsmith LLP
Treating California’s Injured With Dignity And Respect
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Winning Record

Diver v. City of Walnut Creek – $27,750,000 verdict

Our client, a state champion diver, suffered a cervical fracture and dislocation resulting in immediate quadriplegia when he struck a synchronized swimmer while practicing diving in a public pool.  As our diver sprung off the diving board, a synchronized swimmer simultaneously swam out from under the diving board and directly into his landing area.  The City of Walnut Creek rented its dive pool concurrently to both a dive team and a synchronized swimming team for practices without any means of separating the two inconsistent uses, such as deploying floating lane lines, creating the dangerous condition.

Cheerleader v. High School – $17,500,000

Our client, a 17-year-old high school cheerleader, suffered a severe TBI when she fell from the bed of a pickup truck in a school-sponsored parade and struck her head against the roadway.

Family v. City and County of San Francisco – $15,130,000

Our firm represented the surviving family of a woman who, while lying on a blanket at Holley Park in San Francisco on a sunny afternoon with her 11-month-old daughter between her feet, was struck by a City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park pickup truck.  The driver of the truck, an employee of the City and County of San Francisco, drove the truck off a paved path in the park to take a short cut to the street and ran over her head and upper torso, causing her death.

Family v. City and County of San Francisco – $15,000,000 verdict

We represented the daughter and mother of two tenants who perished in a fire that spread due to the lack of an operable smoke detector in a public housing unit owned by the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Passengers v. Aviation Parts Manufacturer – $12,500,000

Jury verdict for the wrongful death and personal injuries of passengers in an airplane crash due to a defectively manufactured magneto on one engine of a twin engine aircraft. The failure occurred on take-off, resulting in the loss of ignition and engine stoppage.

Passengers v. USA and Jeppsen and Co. – $11,600,000 verdict

The crash of a DC-9 cargo jet and the death of its crew due to a defective aeronautical navigation chart used by the pilot resulted in a large jury verdict.

Family v. Caltrans – $10,000,000

Two family members suffered serious impalement injuries when the father fell asleep at the wheel, veered off the freeway, and struck the end of a guardrail which had been installed backwards by Caltrans, creating a substantial hazard.

Construction Worker v. Construction Company – $8,900,000

Our client sustained an above-the-knee (AK) amputation of his leg at construction site in Pleasanton when, while standing behind his water truck coiling his water hose, another water truck driver with a clear and unobstructed view of our client drove directly into him.  The impact pinned and crushed our client between the water trucks.   Our client sustained a traumatic amputation of his right leg near his hip.

Resort Guest v. Resort – $8,000,000

Our client suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) when she struck her head on the driveway’s pavement after being thrown from a valet’s golf cart due to a sharp turn.

Family v. Event Organizer – $8,000,000

Our firm represented the family of a participant in a sporting activity who signed a release to participate, then suffered a cardiac arrest while participating.  The event organizers and medical team failed provide any assistance to the decedent.

Guest v. Property Owner – $6,450,000

Our client suffered a cervical spine fracture resulting in quadriplegia after diving into a residential pool.

Student v. Turlock Unified School District – $6,000,000

Our client, an elementary school student, was knocked over by another student playing tag, causing her to strike her head and suffer a severe TBI.

Scooter Rider v. Delivery Company – $5,975,000

Our client suffered a severe TBI when struck by a driver of a delivery vehicle.

Passenger v. Caltrans – $5,500,000

Our client, a passenger in a rollover accident, suffered a cervical spine fracture resulting in quadriplegia due to a dangerous condition on Highway 1 in Marin County.  Caltrans settled the case while the jury was deliberating the second phase of the trial.

Truck Driver v. Construction Company – $5,375,000

Our client suffered serious injuries when cargo from his flatbed hauling truck fell on top of him during unstrapping.  This load had been placed on the trailer by defendant, a construction company.

Family v. Auto Manufacturer – $5,150,000

Our client’s husband died in a vehicular fire following a single car accident that caused a rupture in the gas tank.

Young Golfer v. Golf Camp and Other Young Golfer – $5,100,000

Our client suffered a severe TBI when struck in the head with a golf club at a Nike Golf Camp.

Pedestrian’s Son v. Hit and Run Driver – $5,000,000

Our client’s father suffered fatal injuries when a driver in Santa Rosa struck him, fled the scene, and hid out for two days before turning himself in.

Disabled Passenger v. Public Paratransit Service – $5,000,000

Our paraplegic client suffered serious injuries when he fell while exiting a paratransit van.

Family v. City of Oakland – $4,750,000

Our clients suffered severe burn injuries in the Oakland Hills Fire.  After a small fire continued to burn because the fire department failed to fully extinguish it, the fire spread rapidly due to winds and the fuel of a eucalyptus grove.  The narrow streets in the Oakland Hills prevented a timely emergency response and quickly became clogged from vehicles attempting to escape the blaze.  Our clients were burned when their car turned over as they tried to get around the traffic jam and they were forced to flee their disabled car on foot.

Sanitation Worker v. McKinsey & Co., Inc. – $4,000,000

Our client, a sanitation worker crossing the street to return to his garbage truck early in the morning in San Rafael, was struck by a car and suffered a severe TBI.  The driver could not see because he had fogged windows and was driving too fast.  Although he was commuting to work at McKinsey & Company, Inc. in San Francisco, the driver was required to arrive at work early that day and was on a special errand for his employer.

Worker v. Butcher Boy – $3,200,000 verdict

Our client suffered an amputated arm in a Butcher Boy meat grinder due to its defective design.  Due to more than 300 prior amputations of the arms of other users of Butcher Boy meat grinders, the manufacturer went bankrupt but continued its business under another name.  At trial, we successfully established the liability of the successor company and that the owner of the company, William Lasar III, was its alter ego.

Motorcyclist v. Landowner – $3,043,491 award

Motorcyclist at a motocross park suffered serious back injuries when he rode off a 25-foot cliff at a motocross track created by landowner’s excavation of gravel, obliterated a biking trail.

Driver v. Auto Manufacturer – $3,300,000

Our client suffered a spinal fracture resulting in quadriplegia in a single vehicle rollover incident after road debris struck one rear wheel’s parking brake cable, activating it, and causing the vehicle to lose control.

Motorcyclist v. Caltrans – $3,000,000

Our client suffered the traumatic amputation of his left foot when struck by a left-turning vehicle on El Camino Real in Burlingame.  Caltrans allowed the dangerous condition of the intersection to persist despite knowledge for more than 15 years and more than 100 prior similar collisions.

Motorcyclist v. Driver – $3,000,000

Our client suffered a lower leg amputation after a driver made an illegal U-turn on Market Street in San Francisco.

Minor Passenger v. County of Tulare – $3,000,000

Our 2-year-old client suffered a TBI in an auto collision after a driver ran a stop sign that was obscured by an overgrown palm tree.

Surveyor v. Utility Truck – $3,000,000

Our client, a surveyor and mountain climber, suffered serious leg injuries when a utility truck backed out of a driveway and struck him while he was setting up his surveying equipment.

Driver & Passenger v. Drunk Driver – $2,980,944 verdict

Our husband-and-wife clients suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision with a drunk driver.  The jury trial occurred in Sonoma County.

Family v. Limo Company – $2,681,260

Our firm represented the surviving family members of a woman who perished in a limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge.

Passenger v. Construction Company – $2,550,000

Our client suffered a brain injury and multiple spinal fractures in an auto collision caused by a construction company’s unauthorized closure of traffic lanes on I-680.  The construction company was doing repaving work and closed traffic lanes earlier than the permit allowed, causing a major traffic backup and the subject high-speed rear-end collision.

Skier v. Ski Resort – $2,500,000

Our client sustained serious leg injuries when he skied off a 20-foot cliff created by the ski resort when it removed snow for an adjacent terrain park for snowboarders.

Driver v. Driver – $2,320,375 verdict

Our 71-year-old client suffered a subdural hematoma and brain swelling that necessitated a craniotomy and resulted in a permanent brain injury in a disputed intersection collision in San Rafael.

Tenant v. Property Owner & Management Company – $2,300,000

Our client suffered a severe traumatic brain injury when he slipped on black ice and fell in the driveway of his rental home in Ukiah.  The property owner and property management company failed to properly maintain the property by allowing the automatic front lawn sprinklers to over-spray into the driveway, then turn into black ice in freezing temperatures.  A responding paramedic similarly slipped and fell in the driveway.

Family v. Construction Company – $2,265,000

Caltrans construction inspector killed when run over by a dump truck backing up.

Iron Worker v. Palo Alto Concrete and Mediterraneo Design Build, Inc. – $2,480,000

An iron worker fell into a concealed hole at a job site in Palo Alto, causing a femur fracture and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Tenant v. Property Owner and Property Management Company – $2,250,000

Our client suffered a lung disease from toxic antigens in an HVAC system caused by a pigeon infestation.

Family v. Caltrans – $2,000,000

Our firm represented the family of a 19-year-old whose car became disabled due to flooding on I-880 in Oakland that created an extremely large 2’ deep puddle due to clogged drains.  When he got out of his car to check on the damage to his car, another vehicle that lost control in the same flooding struck the young man and caused his death.  Caltrans knew that flooding at this location occurred every time it rained and identified it as a “hot spot” for flooding but failed to keep the drains in this location clear and free of debris.  CHP reported this flooding but the Caltrans dispatcher left her post for an hour to get McDonalds.

Motorcyclist v. Shopping Center – $2,000,000

Our client suffered the traumatic amputation of his lower leg when a pickup truck struck him while making made a left turn out of a shopping center.  The shopping center’s owner, developer, and property manager created a traffic hazard off its property and on a public road by not restricting left turns and not installing a stop sign for exiting vehicles.

Cyclist v. Driver – $1,850,000

Our client suffered a moderate TBI and spinal injury when struck by a car making a right turn.

Elderly Scooter Rider v. Truck – $1,800,000

Our firm represented the surviving family of a 95-year-old man on a mobility scooter who suffered fatal injuries when struck by a truck.

Driver v. Taxicab Company Owners – $1,750,000 after jury verdict

Our client suffered a severe TBI when struck by a negligent taxicab driver.  San Francisco Superior Court held the owners of the taxicab company liable for the jury verdict.

Pedestrian v. M Squared Construction – $1,750,000

Our client, a nine-month pregnant woman, suffered an elbow injury when thrown to sidewalk by a fire hose.  The fire hose, which had been used by a construction company to clean a jobsite, became caught in the wheel of a passing truck.

Student v. LASIK Doctor – $1,750,000
Our client brought a medical malpractice case against a San Jose ophthalmologist who performed LASIK surgery.  Our client, who had preexisting glaucoma, suffered permanent damage to his optic nerves and a loss of vision due to the procedure.

Office Worker v. Property Owner – $1,575,000

Our client suffered a TBI when she tripped and fell over sandbags placed in the doorway of the office in which she worked to prevent flooding due inadequate drainage.  The owner of the Mill Valley office building used sandbags to remedy the recurrent flooding problem for some time without any attempt to fix the drainage issue.

Family v. Driver – $1,500,000

Our firm represented the surviving family members of a motorcyclist who suffered fatal injuries when a driver pulled out from a driveway for a country club directly in front of decedent.

Family v. Trucking Company – $1,500,000

Our clients, a mother and her three kids driving to school, suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision with a speeding truck.

Family v. City of Oakland – $1,500,000

Our firm represented the surviving family members in a case against the City of Oakland for police negligence in the death of a mother and her 18-year-old daughter in a home invasion robbery.

Worker v. Butcher Boy – $1,500,000

Our client suffered an amputated arm in a Butcher Boy meat grinder due to its defective design.  Due to more than 300 prior amputations of the arms of other users of Butcher Boy meat grinders, the manufacturer went bankrupt but continued its business under another name.  Our firm established that the successor company, Westglen Corporation, and the owner of the company, William Lasar III, its alter ego, were responsible for our client’s damages.

Helicopter Pilot v. Helicopter Maintenance Company – $1,458,085 award

Our client, a helicopter pilot, suffered serious injuries when his helicopter crashed due to a fuel line fractured soon after a helicopter maintenance company serviced the helicopter.

Family v. Caltrans – $1,250,000

Our firm represented the family in a wrongful death case involving a driver who lost control due to a patch of black ice in the roadway and slid into oncoming traffic resulting in a fatal collision.  Caltrans failed to de-ice the roadway or warn drivers of the danger.

Pedestrian v. Driver – $1,250,000

Our client suffered a severe fracture of her foot when it was run over by a car in a San Francisco crosswalk.

Family v. Driver – $1,250,000

Our firm represented the family of a pedestrian who suffered fatal injuries when struck by a negligent driver in San Rafael.

Construction Worker v. Property Owner – $1,200,000

Our client, a demolition worker, suffered the amputation of his lower leg when he used a torch to cut a large piece of metal and it fell on his leg.

Family v. Trucking Company – $1,050,000

Our firm represented the family of a 77-year-old man who perished in a head-on collision which a truck on a San Francisco street when the large semi-truck made a wide turn and drove up the hood of the car, over the windshield, and onto the roof, crushing the decedent.