When a 750-pound parking lot gate fell onto Ms. Yi, a contest of liability erupted amongst the landlord of the property, the tenants, and the Koreatown church across the street that used the space for its attendees. Ted Wacker of the Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker demonstrated all three parties were liable and attained a $929,000 verdict for Ms. Yi using a reconstruction of the incident and a timeline of her medical care.

Due to a verbal agreement, the Los Angeles autobody shop allowed the church’s congregation to use their lot for overflow parking during services. On the day of the incident, Ms. Yi was invited to attend an event at the church. Church officials instructed her to move her car across the street. Two deacons who were working as parking attendants struggled to close the broken and eroded gate behind her. They managed to jerk the gate loose. However, gate’s wheels slid off their tracks. The gate toppled onto Ms. Yi, slamming and pinning her against the concrete. The two deacons scrambled to lift the massive weight off of her. Thankfully, good Samaritans were nearby and heard the loud crash. When they arrived, they called 911 and helped Ms. Yi to safety.

First responders rushed Ms. Yi to a nearby hospital in an ambulance. She complained of severe pain radiating from her knees, neck, and back. Doctors identified head-to-toe bruises covering her body and ordered MRIs be taken of her spine, revealing several disc protrusions. Next, they prescribed Ms. Yi rigorous chiropractic sessions, spinal injections, and acupuncture to manage her pain conservatively.

The landlord of the autobody shop stated his tenants were responsible for the incident and all of the property’s repairs. However, the autobody shop owners contested they were not liable for Ms. Yi’s injuries because they were helping the church and were not present when the gate fell. During a deposition, the church revealed they did not have insurance that covered the overflow parking. Then, in an astonishing attempt to sidestep responsibility, the church said the gate never fell on Ms. Yi.

Ted Wacker was referred to help Ms. Yi move past the traumatic experience by resolving the case. First, he attempted to mediate with the landlord and the autobody shop owners who were insured under the same policy. The two parties offered $150,000 to settle the case, but Ted refused as he knew that amount would not sufficiently compensate his client.

With no progress to a resolution between all parties, Ted prepared for trial:
He obtained Google Earth photos showing the landlord and tenant’s attempts to repair the broken gate by welding metal scraps to the tracks.

To combat the church’s fraudulent allegations of Ms. Yi, Ted located the person who called 911 and helped her from under the gate.

Finally, to illustrate the causes of the incident, Ted reached out to DK Global to incorporate his evidence into a trial-ready reconstruction animation and a timeline of Ms. Yi’s medical care.

The presentation began with an overview of the parking lot and church. Next, it showed Ms. Yi waiting for the deacons to close the gate. The exhibit displayed Ted’s Google Earth photos of the eroded and salvaged track as the deacons forced the gate closed. Then, after the iron barrier fell onto Ms. Yi, her knees, back, and neck were highlighted to bring attention to her injuries. Finally, a timeline of Ms. Yi's medical care illustrated the severity of her persistent traumas and damages.

After Ted presented his evidence and the visual exhibit to the jury, they found all three parties liable for Ms. Yi’s damages, awarding her a $929,000 verdict.

For over 25 years, trial attorney and Golden Advocate Award winner Ted Wacker has represented the victims of catastrophic injury cases. A member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Ted has also been recognized as a "California Super Lawyer" and a “Top Trial Attorney” by The National Trial Lawyers.