On January 29, 2015, PSR attorneys Brian Panish and Tom Schultz obtained a $34,555,220 jury verdict for a man who was hit and severely injured when he was run over by a tractor-trailer while he was stopped on the sidewalk of a Los Angeles, California street. (Alan Casillas v. Landstar Ranger, Inc.; Francisco Azurdia). PSR Los Angeles truck accident attorney Erika Contreras, and co-counsel from Banafsheh, Danesh & Javid, P.C. also assisted in the case.
19-year-old Alan Casillas was on the sidewalk at the intersection of Tweedy Boulevard and Alameda Street when a semi-truck owned by Landstar Ranger, Inc. tried to make a right turn onto Alameda. The 55-foot-long truck trailer crossed over the sidewalk during the attempted turn, hitting Mr. Casillas and running over his leg. The accident resulted in Mr. Casillas having a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg. He has had to have numerous surgeries on his leg and is expected to require additional surgeries in the future.
Despite overwhelming evidence that its driver was at fault for the collision, Landstar refused to accept responsibility for the accident until immediately before the start of trial, even attempting to place blame on Mr. Casillas for not paying attention and avoiding the truck. During trial, Landstar’s attorney, James Yukevich of Yukevich Cavanaugh, argued that Mr. Casillas should only be compensated around $5,000,000 to $7,000,000 for his injuries. The jury rejected those arguments, finding that Mr. Casillas should receive $738,639 for past and future lost wages, $5,941,581 for past and future medical costs, and $27,875,000 for past and future pain and suffering.
Mr. Casillas’ attorney, Brian Panish, said following trial “Mr. Casillas is entitled to the compensation that was fairly awarded by this jury. This is a young man whose life was changed in an instant by the negligence of the defendants. He has lost his leg and suffered tremendous pain and will continue to suffer in the future. This award will allow him to live his life to the fullest extent possible and get the treatment that he deserves.”
Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP’s record of obtaining seven and eight figure verdict in truck crash cases is unmatched by any other law firm in the country over the last several years. In addition to the $34.5 million verdict in Casillas, since 2012, the firm has obtained a $36.5 million verdict, a $20 million verdict and a $7.5 million verdict in truck accident cases.