When a loved one is killed in a car accident, motorcycle accident or pedestrian collision, survivors have a claim against the wrongdoer and the wrongdoer’s insurance company. The California wrongful death specialists at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger have a history of making certain that the responsible insurance companies, individuals or corporate defendants pay what they owe.
To obtain the benefits your family deserves, you need a lawyer who is a seasoned investigator, tough negotiator and skillful trial lawyer. Walkup’s wrongful death auto accident lawyers make certain that our clients are not shortchanged.
Successful San Francisco Wrongful Death Lawyers
At Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, our San Francisco car accident attorneys have more than 50 years’ experience representing the families and surviving partners of those who have been killed through the negligence of automobile drivers, truck drivers and other vehicle operators.
We have the financial resources, the experience and the knowledge to recover what is owed to you. Our attorneys know the engineering dynamics involved in accident reconstruction. We understand how to secure and preserve evidence. We know how to calculate and argue all of your losses — lost wages, lost comfort and companionship, lost financial security.
The attorneys at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger also know how to investigate an accident to determine if there were other liable parties such as manufacturers of defective car seats, air bags, tires and brakes. We have successfully prosecuted carmakers for safety equipment that fails to perform properly, poorly designed SUVs or dangerous seat belts.
Our legal team has been helping victims’ families since 1959 and can successfully handle your case. Call our firm at (415) 981-7210 or send us an email to arrange your free consultation. Call before evidence is destroyed.
Our Record Of Successful California Wrongful Death Cases
Intersection Collision – $7 Million Jury Verdict
Our fatal automobile accident attorneys obtained a unanimous jury verdict in this wrongful death case arising from an intersection collision on Highway 82. The victim’s car was broadsided as it tried to enter the flow of traffic. Walkup’s trial lawyers used engineers who specialize in automobile accident reconstruction to prove that the inattention and negligence of the defendant driver caused the death.
Defective Car Seat Belt – $5,769,000 Jury Verdict
Our California wrongful death trial lawyers obtained a jury verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court of $5,769,000 on behalf of the surviving wife and two children of a 43-year-old man killed when his seat belt failed to properly restrain him in a low-speed accident. At impact, his seat belt fractured his ribs, punctured a lung and lacerated his spleen. The other driver in the accident was not hurt. Using experts in the field of car engineering and design, forensic economists and medical experts, our wrongful death trial lawyers showed that the design of the car was faulty and caused the wrongful death. The verdict followed a three-week trial and at the time was one of the largest in California for an automobile seat belt defect. The recovery included compensation to the heirs for the loss of the love, care and society of the decedent, as well as a sum to compensate them for his lost future earnings.
Vehicle Collision – $3 Million Settlement
Our San Francisco, California, automobile accident wrongful death attorneys obtained a settlement comprised of both cash and future annuity payments, having a present cash value of more than $3 million on behalf of the survivors of a 42-year-old man who was fatally injured when his truck struck a guardrail at a rural bridge crossing. On the morning of his death, the decedent’s pickup truck drifted across the center lane of a two-lane road. After correcting back into his own lane, he struck and slid along a metal guardrail, which led to a bridge abutment. As he approached the bridge, there was a gap between the guardrail and the bridge rail. At the point of the gap, the front of the truck struck the abutment, which impaled the vehicle and its driver. Our wrongful death team demonstrated that the guardrail and bridge were not built in accordance with the original plans or specifications. The recovery included the future value of the decedent’s wages, benefits and household services, as well as a sum to compensate his heirs for the loss of his care, comfort and society.
Cross-Median Accident – $2.75 Million Settlement
Our San Francisco auto accident attorneys obtained a settlement in the amount of $2.75 million on behalf of the surviving wife and children of a 39-year-old San Francisco businessman who died when his car was struck head on by another vehicle that had catapulted over the center divider of northbound Highway 101. The accident occurred when a Jeep traveling in the opposite direction went out of control and climbed up and over the median, striking our client’s husband. The settlement was contributed to both by the offending driver and the state of California. Our lawyers proved that the other driver was negligent and that the median divider, as designed and built, was in violation of California design requirements.
Commercial Bus Brake Failure – $1,139,700 Settlement
Walkup auto collision and wrongful death attorneys negotiated a $1,139,700 settlement on behalf of the seven children of a woman whose life was taken in a fatal bus crash. The 60-year-old decedent was taking a bus from Los Angeles to El Paso, Texas. The driver, making a routine stop in Phoenix, Arizona, entered an intersection and tried to press the brake. The bus failed to stop and crashed into a storage facility. The brake system had failed on the bus due to a nonoperational relay valve. Walkup lawyers proved that the transportation company failed to maintain, service and repair the faulty brake system. When Walkup lawyers and experts inspected the bus after the crash, they found evidence of cracked and warped rotors and a buildup of dirt, suggesting a failure to properly maintain and inspect the system.
Contact Our Fatal Traffic Accident Law Firm
At Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, our California fatal traffic accident lawyers cannot bring back what you want most, but we can determine your financial losses and seek recovery for them.
Contact our California fatal auto collision lawyers today. To schedule an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your case, call us at (415) 981-7210 or contact the Walkup firm online.
Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger handles fatal car accident cases throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Hayward, Sunnyvale and Vallejo.