Los Angeles jury awards $28 million to motorcyclist in firetruck crash

A Los Angeles jury has awarded $28 million to Robert Danbom, a motorcyclist who suffered severe injuries in a 2021 collision with a city firetruck. The accident occurred on September 2, 2021, in East Hollywood when Danbom was traveling northbound on Vermont Avenue. According to the lawsuit, a Los Angeles Fire Department firetruck traveling west entered the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vermont without stopping, despite Danbom having a green light.

The collision resulted in Danbom dislocating his shoulder and sustaining injuries to his leg that eventually required below-the-knee amputation. Legal counsel for Danbom, Filippo Marchino of the X-Law Group, stated that video evidence showed the vehicle failed to stop or slow down before entering the busy intersection, violating city firefighter driver manuals. Marchino noted that the $28 million award is believed to be the largest verdict in California involving a below-the-knee amputation.