$15.77 Million Verdict for Family of Cyclist Killed by Drowsy Driver
Won by The McClellan Law Firm.
A San Diego jury awarded $15,771,234 to the wife and three children of a bicyclist killed on El Camino Real in Carlsbad by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel after a night shift, in what was reported as the largest net wrongful death verdict in San Diego County history.
What happened
On a Sunday morning in April 2013, Eric Ringdahl, 45, was riding in the designated bike lane of El Camino Real in Carlsbad when a vehicle driven by Rafael Garcia drifted out of its lane and into the path of the cyclists. Garcia's car struck Ringdahl, who suffered severe head trauma and was declared dead at the scene. Police investigators determined that Garcia had been heading home after a night shift at Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego when fatigue caused him to lose control.
Ringdahl was a director of sales for Cytori Therapeutics, a San Diego biotech company. He left behind his wife, Amy, and three young children. Amy Ringdahl, individually and as guardian for the minor children, filed suit against Garcia and Alvarado Hospital Medical Center.
Craig McClellan of The McClellan Law Firm, joined by co-counsel, took the case to trial in San Diego County Superior Court. Alvarado Hospital settled confidentially before the verdict, leaving Garcia as the remaining defendant. On the day before trial began, Garcia admitted liability, narrowing the jury's task to deciding the full scope of the family's losses.
The jury awarded $15,771,234. The breakdown included approximately $2.5 million in non-economic damages for each of the three children, $4 million in non-economic damages for Amy Ringdahl, and $4.3 million in economic damages representing the family's loss of Eric Ringdahl's financial support. The verdict was ranked the 16th largest in California in 2015 by TopVerdict and was described in coverage as the largest net wrongful death verdict in San Diego County history at the time.
No appellate reduction of the verdict has been reported in available court records.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
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