Client loses son in wrongful death collision – $1.5 Million

In Monterey, car racing is a well-loved tradition within the community, so the death of one of its young community members was devastating for many, particularly for his father, our client.

As a passenger in a fatal car accident, our client’s son had no control of the vehicle that went off the road and crashed into a pole along Reservation Road, just outside of Salinas. While the driver who caused the accident suffered broken bones and was taken to the hospital, our client’s son died at the scene.

The death of his beloved 20-year-old son permanently ended the close relationship that our client had with him. Having lost his wife several years earlier, the 65-year-old single father worked hard at the wharf to raise his son and supported him in the local racing scene. The two were very close with his son being his primary companion.

Dunnion Law ensured that the full limits of $500,000 and $1,000,000 from the respective auto and umbrella policies were obtained on behalf of our grief-stricken client. Prior to obtaining the settlement funds, Dunnion Law also advanced him the funeral costs to ensure that his son had the service he deserved. He envisioned a service that would have a motorcade traveling from the mortuary in Seaside to the cemetery in Monterey. However, the funeral home had other plans and secretly moved his son to Monterey without informing anyone. Our client was distraught that the service he wanted for his son would not happen.

Once he discovered the move had been made, he contacted Dunnion Law, who stepped in to ensure that the body was returned to Seaside and that the motorcade would move forward as planned. Despite the $1.5 million settlement that Dunnion Law recovered on his behalf, our client continues to recover from the loss of his son.