$55 million judgment for Costa Mesa girl

The Orange County Register reports:

A federal judge has handed down a $55 million judgment against the U.S. government in the case of a Costa Mesa girl who was left paralyzed after a horrific car crash caused by a federal employee.

Said to be the largest personal injury award in Orange County history, the judgment filed late Friday stems from a 2002 car wreck that left Leilani Gutierrez, then 4 years old, a quadriplegic dependent on round-the-clock nursing.

The staggering payout is "fair and justified," said Wylie Aitken, lead plaintiff attorney, noting that Leilani has a life expectancy of no more than 35 years.

Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles, said Tuesday that there are no plans to appeal the judgment. "The government acknowledged its liability in this horrible accident, and this judgment will help to some extent ease the pain that this girl is now forced to live with," Mrozek said.

Government workers making dangerous "mistakes".