RESULTS

$4,265,000.00 SETTLEMENT, Lum v. City and County of San Francisco, et al. The City and County of San Francisco paid $4,265,00.00 to the parents of a thirteen-year-old boy who suffered permanent brain damage after being hit by a car on his way to school at the intersection of San Jose Avenue and Niagara Street in San Francisco. Despite prior complaints by residents of the neighborhood and a representative of the Board of Supervisors about the danger the intersection posed to pedestrians due to the lack of a stop sign for drivers traveling on San Jose Avenue, the City failed to take any action to modify the intersection to make it safe for pedestrians. A lawsuit was filed against the City asserting that the intersection was a dangerous condition of public property. A lawsuit was also filed against the driver. Following the filing of the lawsuit, the City installed a stop sign at the intersection.

$3,100,000.00 VERDICT, King et al. v. Wright et al. , Contra Costa County Superior Court. This case involved a child who was ejected from a boat when two speeding boats collided. The operator of the second boat was drinking at the time of the collision, causing him to steer his boat directly into the path of the boat on which the child was a passenger. The child suffered serious injuries to her face and head.

$2,243,500.00 SETTLEMENT after mediation for an attorney who suffered a severe head injury when her bike overturned due to faulty roadway construction. The accident occurred as a result of a dangerous condition of public property and the negligence of several construction companies.

$1,775,000.00 SETTLEMENT Hill et al. v. City and County of San Francisco. On October 8, 2004, five women visiting San Francisco from Illinois, boarded a San Francisco Cable Car to experience one of the most well-known San Francisco attractions. As the cable car sped down the Washington Street hill, passengers exclaimed that they were going so fast it was like a roller coaster ride. Unfortunately, the cable car operators failed to slow the car and as it approached the intersection with Mason Street, suddenly and without warning, the cable car came to a violent stop with so much force that the plaintiffs each described feeling like they had hit a brick wall. The cable car operators had used the emergency brake to stop the car, which the Cable Car Manual allows for only in extreme situations. Each of the five plaintiffs sustained severe, life-altering injuries. Throughout the four years of litigation with the City and County of San Francisco, which involved the review of several thousands of pages of internal City documents, and the completion by plaintiffs' counsel of approximately 20 depositions, the City contended that the operators were not negligent in applying the emergency brake. Plaintiffs asserted that the operators had failed to follow the City's protocol for descending downhill and travelled too fast for the rudimentary braking system in place on the cars. Plaintiffs further contended that the City had failed to properly maintain the primary braking mechanism--planks of wood--such that at the time of the incident the cable car had faulty brakes.

$1,000,000.00 SETTLEMENT Yan v. Lucky Fortune Seafood Restaurant, San Francisco Superior Court.On December 26, 2006, the plaintiff arrived at Lucky Fortune Seafood Restaurant to have dinner with his family. He was disabled and used crutches to help him walk. While standing on the tiled, sloped surface of the restaurant’s entryway, attempting to open the front door, the plaintiff’s rubberized crutch tip slipped backward on the tile surface, causing him to fall. As a result of the fall he suffered a fractured femur which required surgery. A lawsuit was filed against the restaurant owners and the building owners for negligence and violations of the California Disabled Persons Act.

$1,000,000.00 SETTLEMENT for a student badly burned on school premises as a result of faulty equipment.

$982,211.00 RESULT: $532,211.00, VERDICT and $450,000.00 SETTLEMENT Kleinberg v. Town of Corte Madera et al., Marin County Superior Court. This case involved an experienced Marin cyclist who was hit by a car making a left-hand turn onto the U.S. 101 on-ramp from Casa Buena Drive in the Town of Corte Madera. The poorly designed intersection lacked both a stop sign for drivers turning left onto the freeway and adequate signage to alert drivers of the presence of cyclists. As a result, the cyclist was hit and suffered a severe brain injury which left her in a coma for a week. A trial was completed against the uninsured driver who struck her which resulted in a $532,211.00 verdict, in favor of the cyclist. In addition, the Town of Corte Madera agreed to settle the matter for $400,000.00. An additional $50,000.00 settlement was reached with the bicyclist’s insurance company.

$556,000.00 VERDICT, Becker v. Cabrera, San Francisco Superior Court. A 27 year-old motorcyclist sustained a severely broken leg when he was cut off by a distracted motorist who was looking for a parking space in San Francisco.

$275,000.00 SETTLEMENT for injuries suffered by a woman who fell down an unmarked and unlit staircase in a rental property. As a result of the fall, the plaintiff sustained a compression fracture in her lumbar spine.

$250,000.00 SETTLEMENT Mogin v. Thayer, San Mateo County Superior Court. A husband and wife were travelling through the intersection of Millbrae Avenue and El Camino Real in Millbrae when another driver entered the intersection on a red light, striking the driver’s side of the couple’s car. As a result of the collision, the wife suffered debilitating injuries to her left hip and neck, both of which required surgery. After litigation, the defendant agreed to pay the limits of her insurance policy.

$250,000.00 SETTLEMENT for injuries sustained by a bicycle rider “doored” by a passenger exiting a parked car.

$225,000.00 SETTLEMENT Lewis v. Villagio Inn, Marin County Superior Court. A 78 year-old woman visiting the Villagio Inn suffered a fracture to her knee when she fell while leaving the business center of the property. Her fall was caused by a single step which was unmarked and had no handrail. Construction and engineering standards suggest that short flights of steps should be avoided or made visible by applying a marking strip of contrasting color on the leading edge of the step. During the deposition of the general manager of the property, the general manager admitted that Villagio did not place a warning strip on the step because it would have been unattractive.

$225,000.00 SETTLEMENT after mediation for a student who was injured on school property as a result of the school’s failure to maintain its premises in a safe manner.

$110,000.00 SETTLEMENT after mediation for an avid bicyclist who was injured when a vehicle made an abrupt left hand turn in front of him.

$87,500.00 SETTLEMENT for a vision-impaired pedestrian who fell into an open and unguarded trench while walking to a San Francisco BART station. The action was against the City and County of San Francisco, BART and a general contractor employed by BART and the City and County to excavate the crosswalk area leading to the BART station. The contractor excavated a large trench and placed cones around the area, which allowed the workers access to the trench. As the vision-impaired pedestrian walked through the crosswalk, towards the trench, the workers did nothing to stop him from falling into the trench.

$85,000.00 SETTLEMENT against the Oakland Unified School District in a case involving a sexual assault of a grade school student by another student. The lawsuit alleged that the District had failed to properly supervise children in the playground area during recess, allowing for the assault to occur.

$75,000.00 SETTLEMENT in Contra Costa County in a case involving a passenger in a taxicab who was injured when the cab driver rear-ended another vehicle.

$50,000.00 SETTLEMENT for a student who was assaulted by another student while on school premises. The defendants alleged that the incident was simply a “school yard fight”. However, through witnesses and other evidence plaintiff was able to establish that the attack was random and unprovoked.

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All personal injury cases at RAHMAN LAW are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means that unless we obtain a monetary recovery for your case you will not pay attorneys’ fees or costs. In most cases, we will pay case costs on your behalf until the conclusion of your case. All other matters are handled on an hourly basis, with a free initial consultation.