On July 16, 2013, Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP attorney Spencer Lucas and co-counsel Charles Koro of Brown, Koro, and Romag secured a $19.466 million jury verdict for a motorcyclist involved in a catastrophic collision with a construction vehicle. The case was tried in Pomona, California.
The December 15, 2009 crash occurred in Lomita, California after an Asplundh Construction Company owned and operated GMC 1500 truck crashed into the right side of Janusz Zastawnik, who was lawfully riding his motorcycle at the time.
As a result of the collision, Mr. Zastawnik was forced to spend more than a month in the hospital. His lower limbs were crushed and he has been forced to endure five surgeries to date to correct ankle and foot problems. Mr. Zastawnik, who was a truck driver before the crash, will be disabled for the rest of his life.
Not only did Asplundh refuse to admit fault for the collision but the company attempted to portray Mr. Zastawnik as exaggerating the nature and extent of his injuries and need for future care. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deciding the case rejected the defendants’ allegations and awarded Mr. Zastawink and his wife, who had a claim for the loss of companionship and support of her husband, the eight-figure verdict.
Chuck Koro, Dorota Zastawnik, Janusz Zastawnik and Spencer Lucas, following the verdict.