Chain-reaction collision
Award: $22,566,373
While involved in a chain-reaction freeway accident, a vehicle lost control, vaulted over the center median barrier, and landed on top of plaintiff’s vehicle, resulting in traumatic brain injury (Diaz v. Tagliaferri, Ventura County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Donald G. Liddy).

Medication overdose
Award: $3,500,000
Death of a surgical patient resulted from an overdose of Demerol due to nurses’ errors in carrying out doctor’s orders (Confidential v. Confidential, Riverside County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Bruce G. Fagel).

Elder fraud
Award: $14,992,226
A C.P.A. masterminded a scheme to defraud an elderly client of her savings and inheritance (In re: the Estate of Alberta McNamara, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Stephen L. Kaplan).

Vehicle rollover
Award: $5,592,693
Inadequate medical assessment of a passenger ejected from a vehicle during a rollover resulted in her being moved in an unsafe manner, leaving her a paraplegic (Camp v. State of California, Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Thomas G. Stolpman).

Rescue doctrine
Award: $1,755,109
The volunteer paramedic who attempted a rescue of an intoxicated victim of an ATV accident lost the use of her left arm (Eaker v. Cortopassi, Trinity County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Roderic Duncan).

Delayed diagnosis
Award: $5,840,165
Failure of a patient’s dermatologists to timely diagnose his skin cancer allowed it to metastasize, resulting in reduced life expectancy (Reilly v. Powers, San Diego County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: N. Denise Asher).

Head-on collision
Award: $16,789,835
Spilled coffee caused a driver to swerve across the centerline and collide head-on with a car that then rolled over, leaving the 48-year-old driver with devastating injuries (Dorroh v. Warren, Tuolumne County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Robert U. Bokelman).

Hospital negligence
Award: $2,810,000
A patient who was given a cracker by his nurse suffered respiratory arrest and severe brain damage from lack of oxygen, leaving him in a vegetative state (Tung v. USC University Hospital Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Russell S. Kussman).

Dangerous road
Award: $4,400,000
Collision with an unmarked center median island by a 53-year-old attorney on his motorcycle resulted in severe brain injuries (Schneider v. City of Santa Monica, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: David Glubok).

Editor's Note: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California provided by Trials Digest, a Thomson West business. To report your case results, go to west.thomson.com/trialsdigest/form.asp or call 415-344-6000.