A vote Tuesday, from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a $5.5 million medical malpractice settlement, involving 15-year-old Redondo Beach teenager, Elizabeth Nicks, who fell during a cheerleading stunt.
After being taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center following her fall, Nicks was treated for a brain injury, a small subdural hematoma (bleeding of the brain), and released after five days of treatment. Upon finding her unresponsive the next morning, her parents brought her back to the center, where she was diagnosed with brain damage, paralysis and retardation.
One of the largest settlements in county history for medical malpractice, the family will receive an initial payment of $2.45 million, $3.05 million in monthly payments for the next 40 years, to cover the costs of Nicks’ medical care and treatment, and $250,000 in non-economic damages.
The cheerleading accident, which took place in 2007, and was organized by Redondo Beach Youth Football & Cheer, required Nicks to be lifted into the air by her feet. The parents, Gerry and Laddie Nicks, also recently settled a separate lawsuit against the organizers and coach of the cheer team, stating that they did not properly supervise the stunt called a “half-extension.”
Five people were taken to three local trauma centers Monday afternoon following a head-on collision involving two vehicles in Newport Beach, the Orange County Register reported. The accident occurred on Newport Boulevard, north of Hospital Road, just before 4 p.m. According to news reports, authorities believe one of the vehicles went off the roadway and struck some palm trees, and then careened into oncoming lanes of traffic. Police did not determine why the driver lost control of the vehicle. The cause of the August 9th Newport Beach injury crash remains under investigation.
After a Cobb County judge sanctioned “The Sports Grill,” a bar in Austell, GA, for destroying four hours of videotape that showed a patron drinking, the bar has agreed to pay $1 million to the widow of a man killed in a resulting accident caused by the drunk patron. The fatal drunk driving accident occurred on October 25, 2008, when Cuneyt Erturk, a Turkish immigrant, was driving home from his manager job at Domino’s Pizza when he was killed in a crash caused by William Paul Davis IV, who was intoxicated. In her wrongful death suit, Erturk’s widow claimed that staff members overserved Davis, and should have known he would drive home. The judge also found proof that The Sports Grill destroyed the bar bills for two customers who were with Davis and the “spill sheet” that kept track of complimentary drinks served to patrons that night.
APRIL 14, 2010 - The California Highway Patrol reported three people were injured when a vehicle rolled over on the transition road from the westbound Ventura (134) Freeway to the northbound Glendale (2) Freeway on Tuesday. The SUV rollover accident occurred when the driver swerved to avoid a parked big rig on the side of the road. The accident occurred at 12:42 p.m. on April 13th. The cause of the Glendale Freeway accident remains under investigation.
APRIL 12, 2010 - Authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed an elderly man Saturday night in Palm Springs. According to reports in the Desert Sun, the Riverside County accident occurred at Ramon Road and Desert View Drive at about 8:55 p.m. on April 10th. The victim, an 85-year-old Pam Springs man, died at the scene. Witnesses described the vehicle as a white, newer model pickup truck with front-end damage. Anyone with information is asked to call the Palm Springs Police at (760) 323-8115.
APRIL 5, 2010 - A 28-year-old Banning man died early Saturday morning in Glen Avon, the CHP reported. The April 2, 2010 accident occurred on Glen Street, just west of Pedley Road, about a half-mile south of State Route 60 around 2:19 a.m. According to reports in the Valley News, the victim, Chris Smith, struck another vehicle and then a tree. He died at the scene of the crash. It was not known whether the driver of the other vehicle was hurt in the crash. The cause of the fatal Riverside County accident remains under investigation.
MARCH 30, 2010 - After a fatal accident, family members are often left with many questions. You may be wondering what are your legal rights and how do you protect them? If someone else’s negligent, reckless or careless actions left you without someone you love, you may consider holding the responsible party legally accountable for their actions in a wrongful death claim. In the video below, attorneys Mike Bomberger and Stephen Estey discuss wrongful death claims and what remedies are available to you.
If you have lost someone you love in an accident, contact the Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys at Estey Bomberger for more information and an in-depth consultation of your legal rights. All consultations are free, with no obligation.
MARCH 14, 2010 - A possibly suicidal 19-year-old San Bernardino man was arrested Thursday night after driving his truck through a brick wall and into a home, killing a woman. Fourteen firefighters responded to the accident, which occurred in the 26200 block of Croyden Street. The victim, Glynna Rose Folkens, 45, who was deaf from birth, had been standing in her kitchen at about 9:30 p.m. when the truck barreled into her home. The impact pinned her between the truck and the stove. She sustained massive injuries and died at about 10:45 p.m. at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Witnesses said the driver, Christopher Segura, made no attempt to slow down the Chevy Avalanche before crashing it into Fokens’ home. After being extricated using the Jaws of Life, he was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. Authorities took a blood sample to determine if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash. Despite finding a case of Budweiser in the vehicle, CHP offices did not immediately suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
FEBRUARY 17, 2010 – An Orange resident was hospitalized at UCI Medical Center with possibly life-threatening injuries after a collision on the westbound 91 freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported. The Orange County motorcycle accident occurred at about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday night near Brookhurst Road. Further details regarding the cause of the incident were not available. The motorcyclist, Fred Siller, 39, of Orange, suffered major injuries and was listed in critical condition at the Irvine hospital, the Orange County Register reported. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
FEBRUARY 2, 2010 – A 70-year-old woman was struck and killed last Thursday evening in Huntington Beach, the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner has reported. The Orange County pedestrian accident occurred at about 9:20 p.m., on PCH at Ninth Street. According to reports by CBS News, the woman was crossing the street when she was hit by a Chevrolet Silverado. The victim, who was identified at Olga Reveles of Huntington Beach, died at the scene of the crash. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the fatal Huntington Beach pedestrian accident.
