Accident Attorneys' Group

Personal Injury Lawyers of CA

May
23

By

$5 Million Settlement due to McDonald’s Burger

Category: Auto Accident, Blog, Car Accident, Negligence, News Tags: , , , , , ,

English: A selection of value-menu hamburgers ...

English: A selection of value-menu hamburgers from American fast food chains. Clockwise from left to right: McDonald’s McDouble, Burger King Buck Double, Sonic Drive-In Jr. Deluxe Burger, Wendy’s Double Stack. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In January 2012, a sheriff’s deputy caused an injurious accident in Santa Clara County that has now cost him $5 million to settle. And it all occurred because of a hamburger.

Deputy Greg Markovic crashed into Diem Van Lam’s 1994 Honda around 4 a.m. on January 9th. According to the report, Markovic was eating a McDonald’s hamburger and took his eyes off of the road due to its distraction.

The accident occurred after the deputy bit into his burger, put it back down, reached for his radio (which got stuck), turned on his rear amber warning lights by accident, looked down to correct the mistake, and then he hit Van Lam’s vehicle on the driver’s side. There is also speculation that the sheriff may have run a red light before impact.

Markovic survived the accident without any real injury, but Van Lam suffered a skull fracture, torn aorta, and broken ribs.

The deputy is no longer on patrol due to a “permanent disability” that he attained after a child rescue mission of another accident.

The claim was brought to the sheriff after the accident and both parties have now agreed on a settlement of $5 million dollars.

Being distracted while driving causes most of the accidents that drivers face. Perhaps your accident was/will not be caused by a fast food hamburger, but distractions come in many forms and they can all be destructive. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, contact the Accident Attorneys’ Group for a free consultation and essential information that will help you move forward.

Apr
24

By

Los Angeles Residents Mistakenly Shot during Dorner Manhunt Receive $4.2 Million from the City

Category: Blog, News Tags: , , , , , ,

The famous "black and white" LAPD po...

The famous “black and white” LAPD police cruiser (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Margie Carranza and her mother Emma Hernandez were in the midst of their newspaper deliveries on February 7, 2013 when Los Angeles police officers fired around one-hundred shots at their truck. The ladies were driving a blue Toyota pickup that was mistaken for Chris Dorner’s grey Nissan truck. During the shootout, Hernandez was shot in the back and Carranza suffered injuries from the broken glass.

Chris Dorner became the target of one of Los Angeles’s largest manhunts after killing former LAPD Captain Randal Quan’s daughter, Monica and her fiancé Keith Lawrence, a campus police officer in a parking garage.

By the end of Dorner’s reign, he had killed one civilian, killed two police officers and wounded three, kidnapped two people, and then killed himself.

Chris Dorner had written out a manifesto on his social media sites that exposed his plans. He wrote who he was to kill and why. Dorner felt that his termination from the LAPD was erroneous and everyone involved was now at risk. Given his naval and LAPD background, he was someone to approach cautiously.

Police officers followed him up to house in Angelus Oaks, California where the final standoff was held. In the action, Dorner killed a police officer and himself, and the house was burned down in an effort to force him out.

After he killed Quan and Lawrence, LAPD and then the additional officers from San Bernardino County worked hard to end the terror as quickly as they could, and because of that, mistakes occurred. The desire to stop the panic turned into action being stronger than planning.

The women have been awarded a $4.2 settlement from Los Angeles on top of the $40,000 received for car reparations after the incident. Carranza and her mother are splitting the settlement, each receiving $2.1 million.

For any legal matters, contact an accident attorney today.