Ex-UCLA Football Player who Lost Leg in Redondo Beach Crash Inspired Countless Others: Dan Guerrero Says

REDONDO BEACH, CA -- UCLA's athletic director testified Wednesday that a former offensive lineman who lost part of his left leg in a 2012 motorcycle accident has inspired countless others while bravely dealing with transitioning from a robust athlete to an individual with a severe disability.

Dan Guerrero took the stand as trial continued in Los Angeles Superior Court of Amir "Nick" Ekbatani's lawsuit against the state of California and Caltrans for alleged negligence.

"If you're going to draw a perfect profile of a student athlete to have in your program, Nick is the one," Guerrero said. "He has a strong character and he makes people better around him."

Jurors were shown a video clip of Ekbatani being introduced by Guerrero during a 2014 award ceremony recognizing him for his community service.

"When you see Nick ... he always has this upbeat persona and inspirational demeanor about him that is infectious," Guerrero said. "You really don't know what he's going through because of how he presents himself in public."

Guerrero said he is himself a UCLA graduate who once played second base for the baseball team. He says he attends every football game, nearly all of the Bruins' home basketball games as well as contests in numerous other school sports.

According to previous testimony in the trial, Ekbatani was riding his motorcycle north on Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach on July 14, 2012, when a southbound taxi van driven by Mesfin Kinfu failed to yield the right-of- way when turning left onto Diamond Street, colliding with the motorcycle.

Ekbatani's lawyer, Garo Mardirossian, said the intersection is considered "skewed" because Diamond Street crosses PCH at a diagonal so severe that Caltrans is obligated to take extra precautions to protect motorists. He said motorists traveling south on PCH go up a gradual incline that does not allow them to fully view oncoming traffic until they reach the intersection and that the roadway would be safer with a left-turn signal. Attorneys for the state say the intersection is safe and that the taxi driver's careless driving caused the accident.

Guerrero's testimony was interrupted briefly so that Ekbatani's lawyers could present to jurors the video deposition taken in February of UCLA football coach Jim Mora, who was unavailable to appear in court because he was on a recruiting trip. Mora said that since being hired in December 2011, he has invited former Bruins such as Ekbatani to return often and speak to current athletes. He recalled how Ekbatani walked out on the field as an honorary captain before one home game for the coin toss.

"He was determined to not take his crutches with him," Mora said. "He decided to hop out there. He's a stud. I think he's a very unique young man."

Mora testified that while Ekbatani had a strong outward demeanor, he was dealing with many internal pressures.

"He was a scared young man who was trying to put on a brave face," Mora said.

Ekbatani played for UCLA from 2006-09. Now 29, he underwent 13 surgeries on his left leg and always carries a backpack with him that contains supplies to help him tend to that limb, Mardirossian said.

Ekbatani obtained an MBA from USC after the accident and his former fiancée, Kelli Tennant, played volleyball for the Trojans. Guerrero said the excellence of both schools transcends the rivalry.

"The city of Los Angeles is fortunate to have two great universities and two great athletic programs," Guerrero said.

-- City News Service.