$789,000 settlement in traumatic brain injury case

September 1, 2022 - Firm partner Nicholas Carlin and senior counsel Mike Levinson achieved a cumulative settlement of $789,000 related to firm client Stephen O’Mara’s traumatic brain injury. Mr. O’Mara was competing in the bicycle portion of the Donner Lake Triathlon when he suffered the injury after he swerved to avoid an-off leash dog that jumped out of a parked car and ran onto the road during the event, causing him to crash. The firm filed a case against the dog owner, which resolved for $267,500 – well above the dog owner’s insurance policy limit. Mr. O’Mara, who was living in Sacramento at the time, continued feeling post-concussion symptoms in the weeks that followed and received follow-up treatment at UC Medical Center. His symptoms eventually became so severe that he had to have emergency surgery due to a brain bleed. On behalf of Mr. O’Mara and his wife Kelly, the firm filed a separate case against the Regents of the University of California – the owner and operator of the hospital – alleging medical malpractice for failing to properly diagnose, monitor, and treat Mr. O’Mara’s injuries, causing further harm. The case settled for $521,500 prior to expert discovery.