Infinity Law Group Secures $10 Million Settlement in USPS Pedestrian Injury Case

Infinity Law Group attorneys Ilya Filmus and Scott H. Levy secured a $10 million settlement for a pedestrian who suffered catastrophic injuries when a U.S. Postal Service truck struck her in San Francisco.

The case against the United States involved dispute disability, medical causation and damages. Building the case required preserving surveillance footage days before it would have been lost, examining the driver’s recorded statements and reconstructing events that the available video did not fully capture.

The Incident

The collision occurred on August 19, 2022, at Clement Street and 19th Avenue in San Francisco. As the USPS driver moved forward, the truck knocked our client down, drove over her legs and stopped with her legs beneath the vehicle before reversing off them.

Our client sustained severe crushing and degloving injuries to both legs and was transported to San Francisco General Hospital in critical condition. Following the collision, she could no longer walk without a walker, substantially limiting her mobility and independence. She also claimed ongoing cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms and profound social isolation.

Despite the severity of those injuries, the United States disputed the driver’s fault, raised comparative fault issues and contested the extent to which the collision caused all of the injuries and losses claimed.

Bringing a Claim Against the United States

Because the driver was acting within the scope of his federal employment, the plaintiff pursued her claim against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act after completing the administrative claim process with USPS. Had the case not settled, it would have proceeded to a bench trial before a federal judge rather than a jury.

Trial preparation required developing both the liability and damages evidence. Alongside the video and reconstruction work, the firm assembled medical evidence addressing causation, the extent of the plaintiff’s injuries, her loss of independence and her future care needs.

Preserving Surveillance the Police Report Had Discounted

The initial police report stated that surveillance from the nearby Tia Margarita Restaurant “did not capture the incident.” Infinity Law Group’s investigation identified footage that, in fact, showed part of what happened.

The team obtained the recording before litigation and just days before it would have been overwritten. Because the restaurant could not download the footage from its system, a witness allowed it to be recorded with a phone. She later confirmed that she believed the recording matched the footage she had viewed on the restaurant’s system.

Preserving the video was only the first step. Its displayed timestamp was inaccurate. The firm established that discrepancy through the restaurant’s testimony so the recording could be placed correctly within the timeline of the collision.

The footage helped establish that our client was not at fault, but it did not show the entire incident. Understanding its limits was essential: the team needed other evidence and expert analysis to explain what happened outside the camera’s view.

The Driver’s Admission on Police Body-Camera Footage

Body-worn camera footage obtained from the San Francisco Police Department captured a critical statement at the scene. The driver acknowledged that he saw something in front of his vehicle, did not know what it was and nevertheless continued forward.

That admission took on added significance when considered alongside USPS safety and driver-training materials. Postal Service policy required the driver not to move forward unless he was certain it was safe to proceed. By his own account, he continued despite his uncertainty. Connecting his statement to the applicable safety rule helped establish fault.

The police footage supplied a contemporaneous account that could be evaluated alongside the restaurant surveillance, photographs and physical evidence.

Reconstructing What the Video Did Not Show

The truck’s elevated driving position and front blind spot made the driver’s field of vision an important issue. The question was not simply whether a blind spot existed, but when our client would have been visible and what the driver could have seen before moving forward.

Our accident reconstruction expert inspected the vehicle involved in the collision. The reconstruction incorporated that inspection, scans, a three-dimensional model, a mannequin and specific video timepoints to examine the driver’s line of sight.

By connecting physical measurements with the available footage, the expert analyzed when our client would have been visible and when she may have been obscured. This work helped explain the sequence of events beyond what the surveillance recording alone could establish.

Establishing the Extent of the Losses

Proving how the collision occurred was only part of the case. The United States also disputed medical causation, the nature and severity of the injuries and the amount of compensation owed.

The firm developed medical evidence addressing the connection between the collision and our client’s condition, the treatment she required and the continuing effects on her daily life. Her loss of independence and future care needs were central to explaining the lasting consequences of the injuries.

Preparing the damages case required bringing those consequences into focus alongside the liability evidence: what happened in the intersection, what injuries followed and what those injuries would mean for our client in the years ahead.

A $10 Million Resolution

After extensive investigation and litigation, Infinity Law Group secured a $10 million settlement. The resolution avoided the delay and uncertainty of trial and provided substantial resources toward our client’s ongoing care and future needs.

The work behind the result began with looking beyond the initial police report. It continued through the preservation of video, testimony explaining its inaccurate timestamp, analysis of the driver’s own statements and reconstruction of events the camera did not capture. Together with the medical evidence, that work formed the basis for preparing the case for trial and pursuing the settlement.

The matter was Teymurazova v. United States of America,in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Discuss a Serious Injury Case

Infinity Law Group represents people who have suffered serious injuries and families pursuing wrongful death claims throughout California. The firm also welcomes inquiries from attorneys about referrals and co-counsel opportunities, including injury claims involving federal or other government agencies.

Learn More About Our Personal Injury Practice → https://www.infinitylawca.com/personal-injury

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About Infinity Law Group

Infinity Law Group LLP is a California litigation firm representing individuals and businesses in personal injury, employment and civil litigation matters. Its personal injury practice helps injured clients pursue compensation for their injuries, ongoing care and lasting losses.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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