$23 Million
Settlement · Dangerous Road Design · 2022
Known intersection hazard left uncorrected for years
Kern County, CA
Case summary
A public entity had documented sight-line failures and prior collision history at the same intersection but deferred remediation. Public records requests and engineering experts traced the decision trail. The claim resolved shortly before trial after the entity's own traffic studies were admitted into evidence.
Case at a glance
Injuries: Catastrophic multi-system trauma requiring lifetime attendant care.
- Defendant
- Public entity responsible for the roadway
- Key issue
- Design immunity and prior notice
- Resolution point
- Two weeks before trial
- Time to resolution
- 26 months
The challenge
The entity asserted design immunity and argued the intersection met standards at the time it was built.
How we built it
- Public records requests produced six years of collision history at the same location
- Traffic engineers established sight-line failure under current standards
- Deposed the entity's own traffic engineer on deferred remediation decisions
- Defeated design immunity by showing changed physical conditions
The outcome
Once the entity's internal traffic studies were ruled admissible, the case resolved for an amount funding a full lifetime care plan.
How the case moved
Retained
Referred by a prior client
Government claim
Filed inside the six-month deadline
Motion practice
Design-immunity defense defeated
Settlement
Resolved at a mandatory settlement conference
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is decided on its own facts, venue, and available insurance coverage.
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