California Jury Awards $10.5M to injured motorist in drunk driving accident
A Fresno woman's severe brain injury was a big deciding factor in the large monetary award her family received by the Jury. $10.5 million was awarded to Maria Blanca Lopez and her family, one of the largest monetary judgments ever assigned in Fresno County case of drunken driving.
June 9, 2007 was the day J. C. Ramirez, an employee of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charities of Central California, chose to drive drunk. He was driving a dump truck used by the organization when he ran a stop sign at the corner of Church and Valentine. The truck, weighing 20,000 pounds, was traveling at 25 to 30 miles per hour when it struck and broadsides Lopez.
Ramirez plead guilty, in an earlier court appearance, to charges of driving drunk. Ramirez was evidently drunk when he arrived at work on June 9th. He was allowed to operate the truck regardless of alcohol consumption.
The jury assigned DAV Charities the responsibility of $4 million in medical expenses covering past as well as future events. They awarded an additional $6.5 million to the family for pain and suffering equated with the injuries Lopez will live with for the rest of her life. This is such a tregedy all the way around, since the DAV Charities was found responsible and had to pay this huge award.
According to a list on MSN of “The Drunkest Cities” in the U.S. Fresno, CA ranks in the top ten at number 93. Number 100, Denver, Co. ranks as the drunkest city. Other cities listed as failing are Colorado Springs, Austin, Fargo, Anchorage and Omaha. They compiled data from an article written by the editor's of Men's Health.
At the Injury Law Blog, we encourage readers not to drink and drive. If you see friends or others attempting to get behind the wheel while intoxicated, call them a cab. There are several services that provide intoxicated drivers free rides home, in an attempt to cut down on drunk driving accidents. If everyone reaches out to prevent driving while intoxicated, we can make a difference in the drunk driving car accident statistics.
