Orange County Jury Awards $6.2 Million to Developmentally Disabled Man Injured in an Auto v. Pedestrian Accident
November 15, 2019 – Orange County, CA – A jury in Orange County Superior Court awarded $6.2 million to a developmentally disabled 24 year old man who was struck by a car on an outing to the Orange County Fair.
On July 22, 2016, Ian Dotson was under the care and supervision of Aacres LLC, a residential care facility for young adults with developmental disabilities, when he was taken to the Orange County fair for a fun afternoon. In the evening hours following the day at the fair, the Aacres staff that was charged with supervising Ian Dotson lost track of him and negligently allowed him to wander off alone. A desperate search for Ian began by several Aacres staff and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Just after midnight on July 23, 2016, Ian was struck by a car travelling 45 mph. At the time of the collision, Ian was running westbound on MacArthur Boulevard against a red light while the vehicle that struck him was travelling southbound on Fairview Avenue with the right of way. Ian suffered severe, life-altering injuries as a result.
“Companies like Aacres exist for one purpose, to supervise those with developmental disabilities as they live their lives,” said attorney Ricardo Echeverria. “Aacres had only one job that day which was one-on-one supervision of Ian.”
The jury awarded $6.2 million, which included $106,000 in past medical damages, $600,000 in future medical damages, $2 million in past non-economic damages, and $3.5 million in future non-economic damages.
The case is Ian Dotson v. Aacres, LLC, Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 03-2017-00932576-CU-PO-CJC.
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