$44.7 Million Verdict for EMT and Aspiring Firefighter Critically Injured in Left-Turn Motorcycle Crash
A Pierce County jury awarded $44.7 million to an EMT and volunteer firefighter left with permanent injuries after an SUV driver turned left through an uncontrolled intersection and into his path, a verdict Washington courts later upheld in full.
What happened
On a clear day at an uncontrolled intersection in Washington, Kelly Holguin turned left across traffic and directly into the path of Braeden Simon's oncoming motorcycle. Simon struck the front passenger side of her SUV, flew over the vehicle, hit a street sign, and landed in a grass field. He was 26 years old.
Simon was an EMT and emergency room technician at Valley Medical Center. He had also been working as a volunteer firefighter and was actively applying to fire departments across the state when the collision occurred. The crash produced life-threatening polytrauma, including severe orthopedic damage and a peripheral nerve injury to his right leg that permanently altered his physical capacity.
The case went to trial in Pierce County Superior Court in October 2022. The trial court ruled, as a matter of law, that Holguin was negligent because she was the disfavored left-turning driver and failed to see Simon's motorcycle before turning. The jury found her 95 percent at fault and Simon 5 percent at fault.
After a five-week trial, the jury awarded just over $44.7 million in damages. The verdict was described as the largest collectible motorcycle verdict in Washington state history.
Holguin, insured by Allstate, appealed. In June 2025, Division I of the Washington Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's rulings and the full jury award. The Washington Supreme Court then denied review in January 2026, ending the appellate process with the verdict intact.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
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