Lawyers for a woman injured in a personal watercraft accident on the Colorado River say she has been awarded $21.7 million by a Los Angeles jury in her lawsuit against the watercrafts’ drivers and a manufacturer.
In a release Wednesday, attorney Lawrence Grassini says client Fabiola Esparza was 15 when she suffered permanent brain injury in the 2008 accident near Blythe, Calif.
Grassini says the watercraft Esparza and two others were riding became impossible to control through a defect the maker, Polaris, knew about.
In a statement, Polaris sympathized with Esparza but disagreed with the jury, saying their vehicle was safe and the accident was caused by excessive speed, alcohol and reckless driving.
About half the award will be paid by Polaris, with the rest paid by the drivers.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Insured Loss Estimates Top $600M From Washington Fires, Testing New Commissioner 
Powerful El Niño Nears Record Strength, US Forecasters Say 
The Nation’s Insurance Laboratory: What Liability Trends in California Mean for the Rest of the Country 
Are We Training Claims Adjusters or Claims Processors? 
Want to stay up to date?
Get the latest insurance news
sent straight to your inbox.