A Los Angeles jury awarded $32.5 million Friday to a woman who suffered a severe back injury and other harms in a multi-vehicle collision caused by two other drivers in Lancaster in 2018.
According to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, Briana Booth was traveling on Avenue L at about 4:35 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2018, when two other motorists collided and their impact sent their vehicles directly into the path of that driven by Booth. To avoid being struck, Booth swerved suddenly and her car hit a median, then flipped over, the suit stated.
Booth had fusion surgery on her back, but she continues to suffer from chronic pain, according to the suit brought in January 2020, which also stated that she was diagnosed with a pulmonary contusion, lacerations across her left wrist, left foot and swelling to her right ankle and right wrist.
“It’s cases like these that show everyone how dangerous distracted driving can be,” plaintiff’s attorney Jason Fowler said. “Because of the decisions of the defendants, in a split second our client’s life was forever altered. It’s tragic knowing that this all could’ve been avoided.”
After the crash, police investigators placed the primary responsibility for the crash on one of the defendants, but witnesses placed fault on the other defendant, according to Fowler.
“Both parties failed to offer a legitimate settlement when they knew our client was suffering,” said another plaintiff’s attorney, Jonathan Douglass.