A doctor who collided with a horse on Highway 280 last year is suing Webb Ranch Inc. for negligence and seeks financial compensation.
Jean W. Gillon, M.D. was driving north on Interstate 280 on December 29, 2012 to Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City at about 5 a.m. when she collided with a horse on the road.
Four horses boarded at Webb Ranch in Portola Valley, Calif. had escaped from their paddock and were roaming the area near Alpine Road. It is unclear why the paddock was unlocked or why they were on the highway.
A Toyota Prius crashed into the horses, blocking traffic lanes. Gillon’s Mercedes arrived shortly after that.
Her car collided with another horse, causing her vehicle to “launch in the air, crash violently into the ground, collide with a cyclone fence and come to rest in a pasture,” according to the complaint filed May 10 in San Mateo County Superior Court. Gillon injured her back in the process. Three of the horses died from injuries sustained in these collisions.
Gillon's lawsuit claims that Webb Ranch employees created the conditions in which she was injured, resulting in wage loss, property damage, and medical expenses.
A case management conference is scheduled for October 17, 2013.
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