Orange County Joggers Paralyzed in Pacific Coast Highway Settle Injury Claims for $49 million

With family in the Los Angeles Valley area, I have often trained and raced in California. One of my favorite training runs is above the Coastline in Pacific Palisades at the Will Rogers Estate overlooking Malibu, the Pacific Coast Highway (“PCH”) and the Ocean. The PCH was the scene of a shocking accident that resulted in one of the largest settlements in Orange County history.

Two women were permanently disabled after being struck by a car while jogging along Pacific Coast Highway. The women, both mothers of 3, were hit by a driver who fled the scene. This negligent driver, who had 3 previous drunk driving convictions, was arrested several days later, convicted and sentenced to 4 years in prison.

The women were jogging with two other women in the bicycle lane on the northbound side of PCH when they were struck. One Plaintiff was thrown some 60 feet, breaking her neck and pelvis and nearly severing one of her legs. The other suffered a fractured skull, broken legs, pelvis, nose and cheek. Both women are now quadriplegics. The other two women were not injured.

The lawsuit alleged that the road was unsafe because the bike lane was too wide — possibly causing drivers to mistake it for another lane — and improperly marked. The city has since added concrete barriers protecting joggers and bicyclists. The Plaintiffs accepted a $49-million settlement with the city of Dana Point according to the Los Angeles Times.