Man Hurt in Laguna Canyon Crash Awarded $1.8-Million Judgment
A judge awarded $1.8 million Tuesday to a Laguna Beach man who lost part of his leg in an accident on a notorious stretch of Laguna Canyon Road two years ago.
David Franke, now 36, was driving his pickup out of Laguna Beach in the rain on March 19, 1994, when a car driven by Mahmoud Aldamassi hydroplaned on the wet road and plowed into Franke’s car, said Frank Barbaro, Franke’s attorney.
Franke, then a student and a waiter at the Five Feet Restaurant in Laguna, suffered numerous injuries. As a result of the accident, Franke’s lower leg was amputated last February, Barbaro said.
Orange County Superior Court Judge James A. Jackman found Aldamassi, also of Laguna, was at fault in the accident, Barbaro said. Jackman also made a special finding that the state of California was culpable and liable, although not a party to the case.
Neither Aldamassi nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
The accident occurred on a curve of road known as “Big Bend,” which has become an infamous crash site. In the last 15 years, more than 40 people have died on the 8-mile stretch from the San Diego Freeway to Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.
Barbaro said Franke’s previous attorney had filed a claim against the state, but never pursued it.
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