Spinal Cord Injury Victim To Receive $1.45 Million From City Of Palo Alto

Spinal Cord Injury Victim To Receive $1.45 Million From City Of Palo Alto

Author: Joel Mclaughlin

Silvio Oberon was driving a pickup truck when it was rear ended by Ruben Salas, a Palo Alto utility worker.  Oberon suffered serious spinal cord injuries in this crash, which may have been caused by Salas reaching for a cell phone at the time the accident took place.  Oberon was forced to resign his position as supervisor at a janitorial services company.  He still suffers from severe pain as a result of peripheral neuropathy, a very painful nerve condition.  Oberon also wears an electronic stimulator, which is implanted and designed to control back pain.  The city has settled for $1.45 million with Oberon, who sued for $5 million.  

President Obama signed an executive order just last year banning federal employees from talking or texting on cell phones while behind the wheel of government-issued vehicles.  This came after the Distracted Driving Summit, and was meant to set an example for the entire country.  It was hoped that contractors who deal with the federal and state governments would implement similar legislation of their own.

While many studies have been done about the dangers of driving while using cell phones, none illustrate the point better than the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study that was released just last year.  This study essentially proved that motorists were 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than motorists who do not text while behind the wheel.  Talking on cell phones while driving increased the risk of an accident by about 10 times.

California is one of just a handful of states to have a ban on both talking on handheld cell phones or texting while driving.  Even though the state is ahead of the rest of the nation, California auto accident lawyers want a complete ban on any cell phone use while behind the wheel.  While the risks may come more from distractions caused by the actual conversation and not the use of the drivers hands, there would be a dramatic decrease in accidents and serious injuries if cell phone use was banned altogether.  Life changing injuries like those that Silvio Oberon suffered are totally unnecessary.

The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing personal injury victims, including victims of spinal cord injuries.  Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.

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About the Author

Joel Mclaughlin