CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Rahul Ravipudi delivering his opening statement
Van Nuys, CA - A California state court jury heard opening statements Thursday in a lawsuit seeking up to $85 million for a comatose man who was struck by a City of Los Angeles garbage truck in a pedestrian crosswalk, and the full trial is being webcast and recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Plaintiff Kamran Hakimi, 60, suffered a devastating traumatic brain injury in the August 2024 accident, and he is currently comatose requiring 24/7 skilled nursing care. The City conceded liability for the accident, and the parties are largely in agreement on Hakimi's past medical expenses, but the amount of future damages owed to Hakimi remains in dispute.
His attorney Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP asked the Los Angeles County jurors to award between $65 and $85 million in future damages, but an attorney for the city suggested that amount should be lower due to disagreement over Hakimi’s life expectancy and realistic likelihood of any recovery from his current persistent vegetative state.
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Ravipudi described how the garbage truck struck Hakimi making a turn across the crosswalk. While Hakimi was initially responsive at the scene and seemed to only suffer minor injuries, he later developed a serious brain bleed and slipped into a coma following emergency surgery.
Ravipudi explained that their case would largely rely on expert testimony from Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neurologist widely credited with discovering and first diagnosing the condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Dr. Omalu was portrayed by actor Will Smith in the 2015 movie “Concussion.”
According to Ravipudi, Hakimi’s future life expectancy ranges from 8 to 11 years, and he suggested that with continued intensive therapy and rehabilitation he could regain some level of consciousness, noting he is not technically braindead and still displays low levels of neurological activity. He argued an award of up to $85 million is reasonable for a man who was a successful business owner and a physically active family man who now requires round-the-clock skilled nursing care.
“He was very physical. Shopping. Working out, all of those activities. He can’t do any of that anymore,” Ravipudi told jurors.
Representing the City of Los Angeles, defense attorney Thomas Hurrell of Hurrell Cantrall reiterated there was no dispute about liability, past medical expenses or future lost earnings, but he told jurors his expert witnesses would testify Hakimi has a lower life expectancy and less realistic chance of any recovery than Ravipudi suggested.
Hurrell pushed back on criticism that defense experts did not personally examine Hakimi, telling jurors that was unnecessary given the voluminous medical records and brain scans available to examine.
He also argued that monetary compensation would be of little use to Hakimi in his vegetative state, which drew a swift objection from Ravipudi that was sustained by Judge Valerie Salkin.
“These are damages to Mr. Hakimi, not his family,” Hurrell continued. “That’s what we’re going to be talking about in this case.”
The trial is expected to conclude sometime next week.
The case is captioned Hakimi v. City of Los Angeles, case number 24VECV05119 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
