Gray•Duffy successfully obtains settlement for Sheriff’s Department Corrections Officer injured in an automobile accident, resulting in his early retirement.

April 2018

Overview

Gray•Duffy’s Redwood City office successfully represented a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer in an automobile injury case.

Discussion

Jessop v. Largaespada Richard M. Williams and Kathryn T. Camerlengo of Gray•Duffy’s Redwood City office represented Mr. James Jessop in a lawsuit arising out of serious personal injuries he sustained in a freeway automobile accident on July 16, 2014. On that date, Mr. Jessop was driving to his job as a Corrections Officer at the Santa Clara County jail when his vehicle was rear-ended on State Route 152. Just prior to the accident, two cars that were racing passed Mr. Jessop on the right and one of those vehicles impacted the front end of his vehicle causing him to swerve and spin into the No. 1 lane, and thereafter be struck from the rear by a fully loaded long haul semi-truck trailer. Mr. Jessop’s vehicle was totaled. The two racing vehicles fled the scene and were never located. Mr. Jessop sustained minor neck and back injuries, and within a matter of days after the collision developed ringing in his ears (tinnitus) which persists to the present day. As a result of these injuries, Mr. Jessop retired one year early from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department. His incurred medical was approximately $7,000. A personal injury lawsuit was filed against the driver of the long-haul truck trailer that rear-ended him and resulted in a $50,000 settlement. An uninsured motorist claim was brought against Mr. Jessop’s automobile insurance company, State Farm, and that matter was ultimately settled for the policy limit of $250,000, for a total recovery to client of $300,000.

Please Note: This article is necessarily general in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice with respect to any particular case. Readers should consult with an attorney before taking any action affecting their interests.