Advanced Search

Motorcycle passenger's lawyers win suit, awarding the passenger $1,000,000 and finding the city of Coachella negligent in its placement of a wall at an intersection

Accident Type: 
Motorcycle Accident
Result Date: 
Sunday, February 1, 1981
Monetary Result: 
$1,000,000
  Mr. Zamarripa, a 17-­year­-old youth, sustained severe brain damage, including spastic paralysis and a speech impediment when the motorcycle he was riding as a passenger crashed into a van at an intersection. Zamarripa claimed that a five foot high wall on the Union Oil company’s property caused his stepfather, who was driving the motorcycle, to be unable to see on-coming cars at the intersection. Zamarripa sued the city of Coachella for negligently placing the wall. The defending oil company denied this claim and argued that the wall had nothing to do with the accident which took place 86 feet past the intersection. The verdict was in favor of Zamarripa, who recieved $1,000,000 damages. It was judged, however, that only the city, and not the oil company, were responsible for the placement of the wall.

  Please read these terms and conditions of use carefully. By accessing or using the tools and resources listed at accidentdatacenter.com, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions described herein and all terms, guidelines and disclosures incorporated by reference. If you do not agree to all of these terms, do not use this website.

Gas is currently at its cheapest since 2009, and Americans couldn’t be happier. The 2014 holiday season saw 98.6 million—the most people ever—traveling, and 89.5 million of those people did so with a road trip. Not coincidentally, gas was also at its lowest for the holiday season since 2009, and since then it’s dropped even lower.
Like a bajillion other Americans, last night my husband and I watched America’s Happy Time Sports Christmas, also known as Super Bowl XLIX. Commercials are, of course, half the event, and one of the multi-million-dollar spots has people talking, if we take “talking” to mean “completely eviscerating on account of its horrifying lack of sensitivity.” Yes, that commercial.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious car accident in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how scary and surreal the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how scary and surreal the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And after a fatality motorcycle collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious bicycle accident in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how scary and surreal the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the bike crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the bike crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious accident with a commercial truck in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how scary and surreal the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the truck crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious pedestrian accident in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how scary and surreal the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious car, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accident in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, or anywhere in Western Washington, knows how frightening and traumatic the experience can be. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.