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Poway Resident Run Over by Lifeguard Truck Retains Lawyer
Linda McGiness-Pleines hires a personal injury lawyer after she was run over by a state beach lifeguard vehicle.
A Poway woman who was run over by a California lifeguard vehicle at Torrey Pines State Beach on July 23 has hired a lawyer, but whether or not she’ll take legal action remains undecided.
Linda McGiness-Pleines has hired San Diego attorney Janice Mulligan, a personal injury lawyer for more than 20 years and founder of Mulligan & Banham. Mulligan said that no legal action has been sought yet, as McGiness-Pleines’ health remains the top concern.
“In the future, there will be mounds of bills for her to have to pay and there are issues about her ability to return to work,” Mulligan wrote in an email. “But that is all taking a backseat to her immediate goal, which is to struggle to regain her health.”
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McGiness-Pleines suffered a broken lower jaw bone, three broken left ribs, an undetermined right shoulder injury and a possibly serious injury to her spinal cord and neck after the lifeguard vehicle ran over her head while she was sunbathing on the Torrey Pines beach.
No comment from the state has been made about any sort of settlement. California District Public Safety Coordinator Richard Dennison, who oversees San Diego, said the investigation is ongoing.
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“We’re still looking at all the details, both from our department and the San Diego police,” Dennison said. “We don’t have any other further details that we can (legally) talk about now.”
Dennison also said that the lifeguards and their vehicles used at the state beaches are there to serve and the employees respond to medical incidents with the “utmost professionalism.” He said they’re doing a thorough investigation to handle the situation appropriately.
“We’re looking at the types of vehicles we can use in the future, why this happened and how to prevent it.”
Mulligan said McGiness-Pleines just had titanium plates put in her face and is in a lot of pain, making legal action the furthest thing from her mind right now.
“She has not decided whether to bring a lawsuit,” Mulligan said. “[She’s] remaining hopeful that lifeguard training will change so that this won't happen to anyone else.”
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