Largest personal injury settlement ever in Washington state: $ 65.7 million

[MillCreek]

https://crosscut.com/2019/01/seattle-pays-record-breaking-657m-victim-ambulance-crash?utm_source=crosscut-facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR14DXiPQnpQR3DIUshWnVh127_pseAS0I7Ohv-jwFxknYBgwWNeMTIW_-g

The primary drivers of the value of a personal injury case is salary, damages, medical care, and longevity of the injured party.  In this case, we have a plaintiff who likely would have earned well over $ 1 million per year, she has a devastating neurological injury such that she can never return to her profession, she needs 24/7/365 skilled care, likely costing well over $ 150,000 per year, and she will likely live at least another 40 years or so.  I can see how this case cost so much.  Good thing for the plaintiff that the defendant was a governmental entity with deep pockets.

[MechAg94]

So she got tangled up with an ambulance in an intersection that had its lights and sirens on.  The article didn't say how fast she was going or what the speed limit was.  I guess I would be the heartless bastard on the jury.  Not nothing, but not that amount either.  The actual cost of the medical care would be a big part of it.  If it was an insured personal vehicle, she would get the insurance amount and struggle to get any more. 

[MillCreek]

I have been on the other side of several cases with the plaintiff attorney in this case. A nice guy, knows his stuff, and juries love him.

[T.O.M.]

The article indicates that the ambulance driver stated that he slowed/stopped before entering the intersection, checked it was clear, and then proceeded.  The ambulance hit the Porsche Cayenne in the driver's door, and hit it hard enough to drive it through the intersection, onto and across the sidewalk, and into a tree.  Call me crazy, but I think the ambulance driver made an inaccurate statement to the investigators.  A Cayenne is not a small car.  To knock it that far means it was a hard impact, which means that the ambulance was moving at pretty good speed as it entered the intersection against the red light.  Now, add to this the fact that the city has created a driving instructor for the department, revamped its policy, and taken other corrective measures.  That means there was a flaw in what was already there, and a need for a revamped policy/procedure manual and an instructor on that policy/procedure.  So, the witness for the city lied to investigators, and there was a flaw in the existing policy/procedure.  That's why the city settled.  In lawyer talk, it was time for the city to get out the checkbook, which is what they did.

And, if plaintiff had a good lawyer, like MillCreek says, all the more reason to negotiate a settlement.

[Jamisjockey]

The article indicates that the ambulance driver stated that he slowed/stopped before entering the intersection, checked it was clear, and then proceeded.  The ambulance hit the Porsche Cayenne in the driver's door, and hit it hard enough to drive it through the intersection, onto and across the sidewalk, and into a tree.  Call me crazy, but I think the ambulance driver made an inaccurate statement to the investigators.  A Cayenne is not a small car.  To knock it that far means it was a hard impact, which means that the ambulance was moving at pretty good speed as it entered the intersection against the red light.  Now, add to this the fact that the city has created a driving instructor for the department, revamped its policy, and taken other corrective measures.  That means there was a flaw in what was already there, and a need for a revamped policy/procedure manual and an instructor on that policy/procedure.  So, the witness for the city lied to investigators, and there was a flaw in the existing policy/procedure.  That's why the city settled.  In lawyer talk, it was time for the city to get out the checkbook, which is what they did.

And, if plaintiff had a good lawyer, like MillCreek says, all the more reason to negotiate a settlement.

This.

[lee n. field]

The article indicates that the ambulance driver stated that he slowed/stopped before entering the intersection, checked it was clear, and then proceeded.  The ambulance hit the Porsche Cayenne in the driver's door, and hit it hard enough to drive it through the intersection, onto and across the sidewalk, and into a tree.  Call me crazy, but I think the ambulance driver made an inaccurate statement to the investigators.  A Cayenne is not a small car.  To knock it that far means it was a hard impact, which means that the ambulance was moving at pretty good speed as it entered the intersection against the red light.  Now, add to this the fact that the city has created a driving instructor for the department, revamped its policy, and taken other corrective measures.  That means there was a flaw in what was already there, and a need for a revamped policy/procedure manual and an instructor on that policy/procedure.  So, the witness for the city lied to investigators, and there was a flaw in the existing policy/procedure.  That's why the city settled.  In lawyer talk, it was time for the city to get out the checkbook, which is what they did.

And, if plaintiff had a good lawyer, like MillCreek says, all the more reason to negotiate a settlement.

are there dashcams in ambulances?

[MillCreek]

are there dashcams in ambulances?

Probably not in April 2016 when this happened. And for the sake of accuracy, Seattle Fire does not run ambulances. It would have been a Seattle Fire Aid Unit or Medic One Unit that struck the plaintiff's car.

I have read in my risk management journals that a lot of government vehicles, especially emergency response vehicles like police, fire, or EMS are now mounting dashcams so that there is documentation of any accidents, at least from the viewpoint of the vehicle driver.  Slightly more than half of the time, the video is helpful in the defense of any accident claims. The other time, it is not helpful, which usually means a settlement should be forthcoming.  A lot of large corporate vehicle fleets are also using dashcams, especially trucking firms.