Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP attorneys Erika Contreras and Robert Glassman obtained a $5,000,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a man who was tragically killed when a poorly placed, designed, and maintained swing arm metal gate crashed through the front windshield of his work truck.
The 38-year-old husband and father to two young daughters was working for Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc., performing tree removal and landscape services in the Niguel Shores Community neighborhood, when his vehicle came in contact with the swing arm metal gate installed in the middle of the roadway. The pointed section of the swing arm lodged through the front windshield of his vehicle, impaling him. The vehicle then rolled backwards and flipped onto its driver’s side before finally coming to a rest approximately 200-300 feet from where the gate was located.