Los Angeles, California – The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has been ordered by a jury to pay over $11 million to a motorcyclist who suffered severe injuries in a collision with a department van in 2019, according to the motorcyclist’s legal representation. The verdict was reached after intense debates in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
On April 12, 2019, Grady Dillon was riding his motorcycle in downtown Los Angeles when he collided with a LADWP work van driven by Manuel Medina. Dillon, who was 38 at the time, sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis, ribs, left wrist, and right foot, as well as a lacerated spleen. He spent 12 days in the hospital, underwent two major surgeries, and nearly four months in a rehabilitation facility. Since then, he has undergone three additional surgeries, including a lumbar fusion.
The crux of the dispute between Dillon and the department centered around fault. Dillon’s lawyers argued that Medina made an unsafe left-hand turn directly into Dillon’s path, while the department claimed that Dillon was at fault for traveling 59 mph in a 35 mph zone.
The jury ultimately sided with Dillon and awarded him $11,045,000. Robert Glassman, a partner at the law firm representing Dillon, expressed gratitude that the jury made a just decision based on the evidence and common sense, especially in the face of opposition from the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
There has been no immediate response from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power regarding the verdict or any potential appeals.