CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Alexander Wheeler delivering his opening statement
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury heard opening statements Friday in a lawsuit filed by a man claiming he suffered severe injuries after rear-ending a box truck making an illegal U-turn, and the full trial is being webcast live and on-demand by Courtroom View Network.
Plaintiff Fadi Almazahreh alleges he sustained life-altering injuries to his hip and knee in the 2019 early-morning collision that eventually developed into Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS, a condition that can greatly exacerbate the effects of pain, along with a traumatic brain injury and disabling post-traumatic stress disorder.
His attorneys argue costs for his future medical care alone could exceed $14 million, however defendant Altman Specialty Plants LLC, while admitting partial liability for truck driver Florentino Rico’s U-turn, maintains Almazahreh has partial responsibility for the crash and that the effects of his injuries are overstated.
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Plaintiff attorney Alexander Wheeler of Parris Injury Lawyers told the Los Angeles County jury how Rico attempted to make an illegal U-turn on Interstate 210 in his semi-truck shortly after 4am to retrieve an item left behind at a previous delivery site.
Rico couldn’t complete the turn and had to back up into oncoming traffic, and Wheeler described how Almazahreh’s car slammed into the back of Rico’s truck while he worked to complete the turn. He argued Rico had no excuse to make the attempt, as U-turns were clearly prohibited at the intersection.
“The evidence in this case will be that Mr. Rico had the ability to see these very clearly marked signs,” Wheeler emphasized. “No lefthand turn. No u-turn.“
He characterized Rico as an experienced commercial truck driver who should have plainly known the U-turn was illegal, and he suggested Rico’s account of the crash given to police on the scene differed from his description after retaining counsel.
Wheeler argued Rico initially admitted to backing up into oncoming traffic when the collision occurred but later claimed he’d completed the turn and was driving forward when Almazahreh hit him.
Wheeler’s co-counsel Khail Parris walked jurors through Almazahreh’s injuries, focusing on a severe knee injury that he argued will eventually require a total joint replacement. Along with detailing the effects of an alleged traumatic brain injury and the psychological impact of the crash, Parris described the debilitating effects of CRPS.
“What happens when you have this disease is essentially the wires get crossed,” Parris said. “The leg is sending pain signals to the brain, but they’re amplified and the brain is misinterpreting them.”
Parris didn’t specify an amount of non-economic damages in his opening, but he told jurors Almazahreh’s future medical expenses alone could exceed $14 million.
Representing Altman Plants, defense attorney Jorge Martinez of Taylor Anderson LLP told jurors the company accepts partial responsibility for the crash, but that some liability should also be assigned to Almazahreh.
Martinez described the reflective decals on the back of the truck, that he argued should have made it visible with adequate time to stop. He argued the fact Rico was making an illegal U-turn didn’t absolve Almazahreh of his responsibility to be aware of his surroundings, and that other than the dark of the early morning there was nothing to limit his visibility.
CVN screenshot of defense attorney Jorge Martinez delivering his opening statement
He insisted Almazahreh had a full 300 feet to stop, and that he testified in a deposition that never applied his brakes or attempted to take any evasive action to avoid the truck.
“There was ample opportunity for this truck to have been observed,” Martinez said.
Co-counsel Wendy Housman of Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney dealt with allegations involving Almazahreh’s injuries. She told jurors they agree he suffered a fractured tibia but would present expert testimony suggesting his knee injury isn’t as severe as claimed, that he didn’t suffer a TBI and that his injuries never progressed to CRPS.
The trial before Judge Frederick Shaller took weeks of jury selection, with Housman remarking in her opening statement it was the longest voir dire process of her career.
With both sides presenting extensive expert testimony on both liability and damages the trial is expected to take a number of weeks to complete, and CVN’s gavel-to-gavel coverage will continue for the duration of the proceedings.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
