Rabbi Lawyer’s Year in Review

Forgive me! I’m somewhat breaking tradition by sending out an extra Tort Talk blog post. That’s because I’m super excited to present to you my year in review for 2023. This is where I’ll highlight two of my favorite cases I handled during this past year.

2023 was a busy year. We handled cases all over the personal injury spectrum, from rear-end car accidents, to injuries caused by drunk drivers, to a hit-and-run bicycle vs. car and a trip and fall on a dangerous driveway with grievous injuries.

The latter case is one I’ve discussed before. My client was walking to her car after seeing a movie. She walked down a residential driveway approach—the portion of the driveway closest to the street—and tripped because of the dangerous condition of the driveway. The client suffered serious injuries, including a fractured ankle that required surgery.

My office began prosecuting the case. We put together a persuasive case to the homeowner’s insurance company. We hired an engineering expert to show that this driveway did not comply with applicable municipal codes. The insurance company could not dispute that this homeowner allowed a dangerous condition on their premises to go unrepaired. The insurance company accepted 100% of the liability, something that is very rare in premises liability trip and fall cases. None of the blame for the incident was attributed to my client. The case resulted in a very favorable settlement for my client.

Another case I highlight here involves a hit-and-run. My client, an avid bicyclist, was riding his bicycle in West Los Angeles, observing all applicable traffic laws. A driver in the adjacent lane veered into the bike lane, colliding with my client and throwing him off his bicycle. The collision was captured on surveillance, but the imaging did not capture the license plate information. The case ended up being a hit-and-run, and we proceeded against my client’s car insurance policy using his uninsured motorist coverage.

If you read these pages and follow me on social media, you know that I discuss the topic of uninsured motorist coverage a lot. That’s because I’ve seen both sides of the equation. I’ve seen drivers/pedestrians/bicyclists walk away frustrated after being injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver, and they themselves did not have adequate uninsured motorist coverage.

I’ve also seen drivers/bicyclists walk away very satisfied because they protected themselves with a healthy amount of uninsured motorist coverage in the event they got hit by someone with little-to-no insurance. My hit-and-run bicyclist client falls into the latter category. He can now focus on recovering from his serious, life-changing injuries.

According to some estimates, Los Angeles County has between 20,000 to 40,000 hit-and-runs every year. The issue of uninsured motorist coverage is very real, and I see first-hand in my practice how being properly insured can be the difference between frustration and relief. If you have questions about your insurance coverage, or your uninsured motorist coverage, please feel free to reach out for a no-cost review of your policy.

It was my pleasure helping all my clients in 2023! I look forward to a wonderful 2024. Stay tuned, we have some big ideas in the works!

Happy New Year to all! And remember, in 2024, my office is ready to assist, 24/6.