An 11-year-old McAuliffe Middle School student suffered severe orthopedic injuries to both lower extremities, significant emotional and psychological trauma, and permanent disability after she became pinned between two vehicles in the school parking lot during after-school pickup.
The Los Alamitos Unified School District had assumed responsibility for managing traffic in the school parking lot, including stationing personnel to enforce safety protocols during dismissal. However, on the day of the incident, the assigned campus security guard left her post early, allowing an unauthorized vehicle to enter. That vehicle suddenly accelerated when the driver’s foot slipped off the brake and hit the accelerator, striking the student and crushing her between two parked cars.
Plaintiff contended that both the school district and the driver were negligent and jointly liable for the student’s injuries. The school district denied liability, asserting the parking lot had been properly cleared and the vehicle involved was authorized to enter. It maintained the incident was solely caused by the driver’s actions and not due to any negligence on the part of the school district. Following extensive litigation, Rahul Ravipudi, Paul Traina, and John Shaller resolved the matter for $15,045,000.