The city of Los Angeles has to pay nearly $50 million to a man who has been coma since being attacked by a sanitary truck across Encino’s streets.
Kamran Hakimi, now 61, was at the crosswalk at Hayvenhurst Avenue and Ventura Boulevard when a sanitary truck struck him last August. Hakimi’s lawyer said Hakimi had a green light and the driver made an “unsafe right turn.”
The handlebar in front of the truck hit Hakimi’s head and threw him on the asphalt, where he hit his head, the lawyer said. Hakimi stood temporarily and gave a thumbs up before losing consciousness.
“Hakimi’s life and his family’s life will forever be changed due to the negligence of a Los Angeles employee,” said Rahul Rabhipudi, one of Hakimi’s lawyers. “This verdict supports the dignity of life that Hakimi enjoyed before this tragedy, and we are grateful to the ju-degree for carefully considering all the evidence and providing Hakimi with the necessary means to obtain the higher level of care he desperately needs.”
Hakimi is a father of five and worked in real estate before the crash. In October, his lawyer filed a lawsuit against the city in Los Angeles Superior Court.
According to Hakimi’s lawyer, the city admitted that the driver had failed to succumb to Hakimi. However, in the trial, the city “disputed the damages Mr Hakimi suffered, his life expectancy is limited, and the value of his non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life, was minimized because he was in a coma,” Hakimi’s lawyer said.
The ju umpire ordered the city to pay Hakimi $48.8 million, including $25 million of future pain and suffering and $10 million for future medical expenses.
The ruling was greater than a single payment by the city over the past two fiscal years, as the city struggles with expanding its liability payments. The city can still appeal.
Another Hakimi lawyer, Brian Panish, said the case should not go to trial.
“The city’s attorneys chose to bring the case to justice and rejected all reasonable settlement proposals. There were many reasonable proposals made by an independent mediator chosen by the city,” Panish said.
Feldstein Soto did not immediately respond to requests for comment through her news agency.
Panish repeated the arguments held by plaintiffs’ lawyers who said Feldstein Soto’s legal strategy was contributing to rising costs of liability. They argue that Feldstein Soto has been brought to court that she should have settled, and as a result, the city is found to be liable, resulting in a bigger verdict.
The city paid a total of $289 million in 2025 with its highest liability fee ever.
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