Woman Awarded $21.7M in California Watercraft Accident
Lawyers for a woman injured in a personal watercraft accident on the Colorado River say she has been awarded $21.7 million by a Los Angeles jury in her lawsuit against the watercrafts’ drivers and a manufacturer.
In a release Wednesday, attorney Lawrence Grassini says client Fabiola Esparza was 15 when she suffered permanent brain injury in the 2008 accident near Blythe, Calif.
Grassini says the watercraft Esparza and two others were riding became impossible to control through a defect the maker, Polaris, knew about.
In a statement, Polaris sympathized with Esparza but disagreed with the jury, saying their vehicle was safe and the accident was caused by excessive speed, alcohol and reckless driving.
About half the award will be paid by Polaris, with the rest paid by the drivers.
- LA County Told to Pause $4B in Abuse Payouts as DA Probes Fraud Claims
- Charges Dropped Against ‘Poster Boy’ Contractor Accused of Insurance Fraud
- NHTSA Expands Probe into 1.3M Ford F-150 Pickups Over Transmission Issues
- FM Using AI to Elevate Claims to Deliver More Than Just Cost Savings
- Nationwide Spending $100M on AI to Beef up Claims Efficiency, Customer Experience
- Adjusters Launch ‘CarFax for Insurance Claims’ to Vet Carriers’ Damage Estimates
- Allianz Built An AI Agent to Train Claims Professionals in Virtual Reality
- Capital One $425M Depositor Settlement Wins Preliminary Approval