Caltrans Ordered to Pay Couple $10.6 Million
A San Bernardino Superior Court jury has ordered the California Department of Transportation to pay $10.6 million to a couple involved in an accident that left the husband a paraplegic after their car rolled over on a notorious stretch of Interstate 15 on Christmas Day 1996.
The jury found that the department knew the 18-mile stretch between Baker, Calif., and Las Vegas called “Baker Grade” was in dangerous condition as far back as the early 1980s, but did nothing to fix it, according to a release issued Friday by the plaintiffs’ attorneys. The road has 12 times the fatal accident rate of similar roads in California, the release said.
In fact, on Wednesday a van went out of control on Interstate 15, killing one person and injuring five.
In the San Bernardino case, Dr. Paul Lu and his wife were traveling with friends on vacation when the vehicle they were in was forced off the road onto the lower, soft shoulder, causing it to roll over. Lu was ejected, the release said.
The jury awarded $9,221,394 in compensatory damages to him and $1.4 million to his wife, the release said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
