LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two of California’s most prestigious law firms, Girardi | Keese and Panish Shea & Boyle LLP, have brought lawsuits on behalf of the families of two teenagers who were killed and two teenagers who were injured on June 24, 2014 when their passenger vehicle was struck by a runaway dump truck carrying a load of wet cement as part of the I-15 Cajon Pass Rehabilitation Project. 18-year-old Nicole Brittney Lyle and 16-year-old John Anthony Cabrera, Jr. died at the scene after the dump truck’s brakes failed and went through a stop sign and collided into Lyle’s PT Cruiser on Highway 138 in Phelan. Three other teenagers, including Shayne Gretzner and Michael Baker, were also injured in the crash.
“We hope that this devastating tragedy and lawsuit will bring about much needed change to a dangerous roadway and the way that Caltrans and its contractors reconstruct our highways,” stated Thomas V. Girardi, who represents Gretzner, Baker and the father of Cabrera. Widely recognized as one of the nation’s top trial attorneys, Mr. Girardi has obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the country, including the $333 million settlement for 650 residents of Hinkley, California depicted in the movie Erin Brockovich. Both he and David Lira, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, successfully obtained an $18 million verdict for Bryan Stowe against the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer.
Brian J. Panish, who represents the Lyle family and the mother of John Cabrera, Jr., stated, “This is such an important case for not only the residents of San Bernardino County, but for everyone in the state of California who relies on Caltrans and its contractors and project managers to hire the right people with the right equipment when performing highway reconstruction projects.” Also recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the nation, Mr. Panish obtained a record verdict of $4.9 billion against General Motors in an auto defect personal injury case. Mr. Panish and Deborah Chang, who also represents the plaintiffs, obtained the two largest wrongful death verdicts in California last year and are the recipients of the 2014 Consumer Attorney of the Year Award.
The two law firms have combined their considerable resources for this case brought against the driver of the dump truck, Sonja Morris Meeks, her company, Samms Enterprises, Inc., as well as Caltrans, and Coffman/Parsons, the joint venture formed by Coffman Specialties, Inc. and Parsons Corporation.
Cabrera et al. v. CALTRANS et al.
Superior Court of
California, County of San Bernardino
Case No. CIVDS1503077
Lyle et al. v. Samms Enterprises, Inc., et al.
Superior
Court of California, County of San Bernardino
CIVDS1503131