What options have been available to plaintiff in a personal injury action?

Alternatively, under the arbitration procedure, within 30 days after the arbitrator's award was filed with the clerk, plaintiff could have requested a de novo trial ( 1141.20; Cal.Rules of Court, rule 1616), which would operate to nullify the arbitration award and resurrect the judicial proceedings. Plaintiff then would have had the opportunity to attack the November 7 order on appeal from the resulting judgment. (See Coulter v. Superior Court, supra, 21 Cal.3d 144, 148, 145 Cal.Rptr. 534, 577 P.2d 669.) This, also, plaintiff did not do.