Catastrophic Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Cases

The McClellan Law Firm has represented the families and victims of wrongful conduct that resulted in catastrophic personal injury and death. These lawsuits arose out of a wide range of circumstances and under virtually every legal theory possible.

Victims of catastrophic injury, including spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations and burns, suffer from special and particular hardships. The loss of a loved one is devastating. People often come to us after they or a loved one has suffered catastrophic injury or death. They are going through one of the most difficult times of their lives. We strive to be sensitive to each client's diverse needs - no two cases are the same and we view each client as special and each matter as important. We care deeply for our clients and we don't stop fighting for them until they receive justice.

Below are a representative sampling of some of the results that The McClellan Law Firm has obtained on behalf of its clients in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases.

CATASTROPHIC INJURY

In Henline v. State of California, et. al., Pamela Henline, age 51, was driving her Honda on the freeway when a truck began to enter her lane. She swerved to avoid it, losing control and hitting a construction barrier which had been placed at the side of the lane. Because her Seat Belt failed to properly restrain her, she suffered severe injuries.

The McClellan Law Firm brought suit against the State of California, the construction company it hired, the trucking company and Honda, the manufacturer of Pamela's car. The State of California and its construction company settled before trial for $2.75 million. Honda settled for a confidential amount. The case was tried against the trucking company, resulting in an $8.1 million verdict.

In Acosta v. Industrial Asphalt, the plaintiff worker suffered serious injuries when he was partially run over by an asphalt truck that was backing up. The case settled for $7,830,000.

In Salas v. AFS (American Field Service), the plaintiff was seriously injured in a single-car automobile accident while an exchange student in Argentina. The vehicle in which she was injured was being driven by the father of her host family. She had been placed with the family by AFS. AFS was sued for negligence in the placement with the family and for failing to establish host family rules. The case settled for $4 million.

In Sahin v. Saielli and Denora, the plaintiff was seriously injured when a vehicle suddenly turned left in front of her BMW. The case settled for $2,350,000.

In Craft v. Grand Casino, the plaintiff was paralyzed in a single-vehicle rollover following his intoxication at a Kinder, Louisiana casino, which served him drinks and allowed him to drink even though he was under age and driving. The case settled for $2.2 million.

In Van Gorkum v. Target Stores, the plaintiff suffered emotional distress as a result of being falsely accused of price switching in a Target store. The case settled during trial for $1.1 million.

In Logan v. Claudefelter, the plaintiff was injured while riding unbelted in a Jeep in Mexico as a guest of another family. The family that owned the Jeep and failed to supervise was sued for negligence. The case settled for $1 million.

In Flowers v. NCR, the plaintiff claimed a minor brain injury as the result of a slip-and-fall on the stairway at his workplace. The case settled for $1,250,000.

WRONGFUL DEATH

In Mattix v. Castagnola, the negligent operation of a Jeep resulted in the death of the plaintiff's son. The case settled for $1,350,000.

In Doe v. Nash, the plaintiffs' wife and mother was killed as a passenger in her vehicle when it was broadsided by another vehicle that failed to stop at a red light. The case settled for $2 million.

In Michael v. Doe, the plaintiffs' son, a high school senior, was killed as a result of the negligent operation of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. The case settled for $2 million.

In Cary v. Fox, et. al, the firm recently recovered $1.25 million for the death of 87 year old Bessie Carey. Ms. Carey, a widow who lived alone in El Cajon, was struck and run over by a delivery driver. The Firm brought suit on behalf of her adult children, and with trial pending, settled for the applicable insurance policy limits of $1.25 million.

In a case involving Sean O'Kane, Jr., the firm represented the parents of Sean O'Kane, Jr., who died in a helicopter crash off the coast of San Diego. Sean was enrolled in a flight school at the time of the crash and was on a solo flight en route to Long Beach when he encountered a fast-moving fog bank. Disoriented, he flew the helicopter into the water and died. The firm represented Sean's parents in an action against the school, arguing that it cleared Sean to fly that day without ever teaching him what to do if he encountered fog; and second, that the school's helicopter should have been equipped with an attitude indicator. The firm settled the case for close to the school's available insurance policy limits.

In Vandenberg v. Honda, the plaintiffs' husband and father was killed while test driving a Honda motorcycle when a co-worker stepped out on the track to take his picture and they collided. The case settled during trial for a confidential amount.

Garrison v. Porsche arose out of the death of a husband and father who was a passenger in a Turbo 930, when the driver lost control on a city street and went into oncoming traffic. The jury awarded $2.5 million, which was upheld on appeal. The 1983 award tied the verdict for the death of Audie Murphy, a war hero and actor, for the largest wrongful death verdict in the state of California. Following the Garrison verdict, Porsche started offering driver's training to the purchasers of its high-performance, turbo-charged vehicles.

Trent v. Porsche arose out of the death of a husband and father, when the Turbo 930 oversteered and collided with a telephone pole. The case settled for a confidential amount.

The McClellan Law Firm have litigated many more wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases. Some of those appear under other categories listed in the Our Success Stories section of the web site, including Products Liability, Worker Safety and Governmental Liability.

Please note that the results featured on our web site do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.