$2 Million Settlement – Cal Trans Maintenance Truck Causes Freeway Collision

A Cal Trans maintenance man who was working on a freeway shoulder on Highway 4 near Antioch, California, negligently drove the Cal Trans truck into the fast lane at a slower speed than vehicles on the freeway, directly into the path of our client’s car causing a collision. The CHP stated that the collision was caused by our client for making an unsafe lane change, speeding and failure to wear seatbelts. We proved our clients were not speeding and were wearing their seat belts and that the Cal Trans truck caused the collision. The Cal Trans truck driver started to pick up speed on the shoulder area of the freeway in order to merge into the travel lanes, but misjudged the distance to an overcrossing, forcing the truck to abruptly move onto the freeway in the path of a teenage driver. We proved the teenage driver was not responsible for the accident, although the State contended he had been speeding. The settlement included an annuity providing lifetime payments.