A motorcyclist who lost part of his leg after being run over by a Los Angeles firetruck has been awarded a staggering $28 million.
Robert Danbom was riding through an East Hollywood intersection on September 2, 2021, as firefighters in a 65,000-pound truck were also moving through the crossing.
Danbom, who was on his 2005 Harley Roadster, had the green light when he entered the intersection and, according to his lawsuit, had only seconds to respond before the catastrophic collision, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The impact sent his motorcycle airborne while Danbom was trapped and crushed beneath the truck’s wheels.
He suffered a dislocated shoulder, and the injuries to his leg were so severe that doctors later amputated it below the knee, according to the outlet.
In his lawsuit, Danbom argued that the first responders did not stop to look for vehicles crossing the intersection.
“LAFD’s massive fire tender failed to follow basic safety standards by failing to stop, or even slow, the massive vehicle before entering a very busy intersection,” the lawsuit alleged.
The firetruck was responding to Kaiser Permanente at the time of the crash for a call that was later found to be a false alarm.
Sitting on his 2005 Harley Roadster, Danbom was proceeding through a green light when, according to his lawsuit, he had just moments to react before the devastating crash
Robert Danbom won $28 million after he was crushed by a firetruck while headed through an intersection in East Hollywood on September 2, 2021. The accident left this leg so disfigured it needed to be amputated from the knee down
Filippo Marchino, Danbom’s attorney, said he believed the $28 million payout was the largest ever awarded in a case involving a below-the-knee amputation.
However, Marchino criticized the city attorney’s office and claimed his client would have been satisfied with half that amount.
‘But there was zero engagement with the city attorney’s office,’ the attorney told the outlet.
‘These people don’t realize it’s not their money, it’s the city’s money, it’s the taxpayers’ money. It’s offensive because cases like ours could have been settled for significantly less than what the verdict is.’
Footage uploaded to YouTube by Marchino appeared to have been captured by a surveillance camera on the day of the accident.
The video appeared to show the firetruck entering the intersection without stopping moments before Danbom was seen sliding beneath the vehicle.
LAFD Apparatus Operator Vincent Leong claimed the truck stopped at the intersection and made sure it was clear before proceeding, according to a transcript of an interview from the scene cited by the outlet.
Filippo Marchino, Danbom’s attorney, said that the defendants maintained that they stopped before entering the intersection (Stock Image)
LAFD Apparatus Operator Vincent Leong claimed the truck stopped at the intersection and made sure it was clear before proceeding, according to a transcript of an interview from the scene cited by the Los Angeles Times (Stock Image)
‘This is a blind intersection, you know, so I slowed down,’ he said, according to the transcript, which was later presented as evidence in court.
‘I started creeping forward. … I didn’t see anybody.’
Marchino told the outlet that the defendants maintained that position throughout the trial.
‘If you sat through our trial, you’d be like, ‘These guys are high,’ Marchino said. ‘They kept saying, ‘They stopped,’ and we had video showing they didn’t stop.’
Los Angeles settlement and jury-verdict payouts have spiked by more than 350 percent over the past decade, rising from nearly $64 million to $289 million last year, according to the outlet.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department for comment.
