A motorcyclist who lost his leg after being struck by a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firetruck has been awarded $28 million in a civil settlement.
Robert Danbom was riding his 2005 Harley Roadster through an intersection in East Hollywood on September 2, 2021, when a 65,000-pound firetruck collided with him. According to Danbom's lawsuit, he was proceeding through a green light when the firetruck, en route to a false alarm call, entered the intersection without stopping or slowing, leaving him with moments to react.
The impact sent Danbom's motorcycle airborne, and he was subsequently crushed beneath the truck's wheels. The crash resulted in a dislocated shoulder and severe damage to his leg, necessitating amputation below the knee. The lawsuit alleged that the LAFD responders failed to adhere to basic safety standards by not stopping or slowing before entering the busy intersection.
Filippo Marchino, Danbom's attorney, stated that the $28 million payout is believed to be the largest awarded in a case involving a below-the-knee amputation. Marchino expressed disappointment with the city attorney's office, suggesting that the case could have been settled for a significantly lesser amount if there had been greater engagement. "These people don't realize it's not their money, it's the city's money, it's the taxpayers' money," Marchino said.
Surveillance footage uploaded to YouTube appeared to show the firetruck entering the intersection without stopping before the collision. However, LAFD Apparatus Operator Vincent Leong, in a transcript of an interview presented as evidence, claimed the truck had stopped and checked for cross traffic before proceeding. "This is a blind intersection, you know, so I slowed down," Leong stated. "I started creeping forward. ... I didn't see anybody."
Marchino countered that the defendants' claims were contradicted by the video evidence. "If you sat through our trial, you'd be like, 'These guys are high,'" he remarked. "They kept saying, 'They stopped,' and we had video showing they didn't stop."
According to reports, settlement and jury-verdict payouts in Los Angeles have increased by over 350 percent in the last decade, growing from nearly $64 million to $289 million in the past year.