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Motorcyclist's lawyers win her case against Whatcom County for negligent road design, winning a total of $800,000

Accident Type:

Motorcycle Accident

Incident Date:

Tuesday, May 1, 1984

Result Date:

Thursday, January 1, 1987

Monetary Result:

$800,000

Topics:

Court:

Yakima County Superior Court

Hopson Anderson's left leg was riding her motorcycle in Whatcom County, Washington when she began negotiating a tight curve. Her motorcycle crossed the center line of the road and she struck another vehicle. As she clipped the oncoming vehicle, she severely injured her left leg. Her injuries resulted in an amputation of her left leg below the knee. A male passenger on her motorcycle additionally suffered a fractured left leg. She and her attorneys asserted that the accident was the result of the county's improper maintenance and design of the roadway. They further claimed that Whatcom County was responsible for the failure of posting a warning sign about the curve. In the end, Anderson and her attorneys won the case, earning an $800,000 reward.

Pickup driver's defense lawyers win his case after a head-on accident with a motorcyclist who sustained serious injuries

Accident Type:

Motorcycle Accident

Incident Date:

Friday, October 28, 1983

Result Date:

Thursday, October 15, 1987

Monetary Result:

Topics:

Court:

Butte County Superior Court

This motorcycle and truck crash happened on October 28, 1983, at 3: 20 p.m., in favorable weather, on a winding, dirt, mountain road, near Paradise, in Butte County, California. Timothy Peterson, age 33, was riding his Honda trail motorbike on the mountain road toward the site of a weekend camping trip. As he drove through a right turn, he saw George Snyder operating a pickup truck, coming in the opposite direction, heading downhill. Peterson has no memory of the crash, but he argued, through testimony of his accident reconstruction expert, that the pickup was on his side of the road, causing him to swerve sharply to his left to avoid the oncoming truck. At the same time, Snyder swerved his pickup to his right, and the head-on collision occurred in Snyder's lane.

Peterson suffered multiple fracturs to his upper and lower legs and ankles in addition to several fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and damage to his kidney and liver. The left tibia and left ankle both developed infections, resulting in several bone grafts over a period of three years. The bone grafts failed, due to the severity of the infections, and ultimately the left leg was amputated below the knee.

Snyder, a 45-year-old part-time personal property appraiser living in Paradise, argued that, although he may have been over the center of the dirt road, it was customary practice for mountain driving on relatively straight stretches of road. He further claimed that Peterson came out of a wide turn, was looking over his shoulder as he rounded the corner, and drifted onto his side of the roadway. Snyder slammed on his brakes, but claimed Peterson was inattentive and went out of control. A California Highway Patrol officer confirmed Snyder's account, testifying that the accident was entirely Peterson's fault.

In the end, thanks to the CHP officer's testimony, the jury ruled unanimously for Snyder and Peterson was not granted any payments for his serious injuries. Ultimately, the testimony of the police officer out-weighed Peterson's accident reconstruction expert.

Motorcyclist's lawyers win against the Yamaha Corporation after motorcycle accident, alleging defective design

Accident Type:

Motorcycle Accident

Incident Date:

Saturday, March 19, 1983

Result Date:

Friday, June 14, 1985

Monetary Result:

$1,652,000

Topics:

Court:

Yuba County Superior Court

On March 19, 1983 the Plaintiff, Timothy Aston, a 17-year-old motorcyclist was riding a 1982 Yamaha Seca 400 motorcycle. He was hit on the side of his motorcycle by a motorist who ran a red light. Aston received a traumatic crushing injury to his leg. Doctors attempted to save it, however the leg was totally crushed and had to be amputated below the knee. Aston argued that the design of the motorcycle was defective, in that it lacked side protection safeguards, and that he was unaware of the dangerous design of motorcycles when his mother bought him his Yamaha. Aston also argued that the Department of Transportation studies, in which Aston's expert, Dr. Peterson, was involved, ended in 1975, with recommendations that side protections be designed into motorcycles, or for consumers to be warned of their dangers in use. Aston contended that Yamaha has deliberately neglected, for ten years, for financial reasons, to even crash-test motorcycles, fearing the tests would confirm the Department of Transportation studies. The Defendant, the Yamaha Motor Corporation, argued that the design was not at all defective, and that Aston was comparatively at fault for accelerating into the intersection on the green light without looking to see the vehicle running the red light. Ultimately the jury sided with the Aston, awarding him $1,652,000 for his injuries.

Motorcyclist loses case against the State of California for negligent road design

Accident Type:

Motorcycle Accident

Incident Date:

Wednesday, June 14, 1978

Result Date:

Monday, May 23, 1983

Monetary Result:

Topics:

Court:

Tehama County Superior Court

This accident happened on June 14, 1978, at 4:10 p.m., in clear weather, on SR 36, at the Mill Creek Bridge in Tehama County. Daniel Blake, a 22-year-old assistant manager at a pizza parlor, was driving over the bridge when he ran into the re-acclimate seal on the roadway. He claimed that it was after the motorcycle ran over the seal that he lost control of his motorcycle. An oncoming vehicle struck Blake's leg and the rear half of his motorcycle. He suffered serious injuries that resulted in the loss of his right leg above the knee, as well as fractures and lacerations. He was in the hospital for three and a half months. Blake decided to sue the State of California for negligent road construction. He argued that there was not proper signage designating the appropriate speed crossing the bridge, and therefore he was driving too fast when he hit the seal on the pavement. The state contended that Blake was negligent in operating his motorcycle at a high rate of speed, and that his excessive speed caused the crash and his injuries. In the end, the state won its case, and Blake did not receive any award for his injuries.