A jury found the late firefighter and Caltrans equally at fault in the fatal 2019 collision on the 14 Freeway in Santa Clarita.
The family of a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain was awarded $2.7 million last week by a jury that found both the late firefighter and Caltrans were equally at fault in a 2019 collision between his Jeep and a dump truck.
In court documents, the state of California argued Shepard caused the collision when he passed a Caltrans vehicle that was part of a sweeping operation on the freeway and did not check to see whether it was clear when he merged lanes. Shepard’s family said a Caltrans truck driver did not put on his flashing lights when he stopped on the left shoulder and carpool lane to clear debris, according to their complaint. Shepard’s daughter, Conni Billes; his widow, Catherine Shepard, and their son, Clint Shepard, sued the state, the California Department of Transportation, Caltrans driver Pedro Gonzalez Beltran and Herc Rentals Inc.
The family’s attorney, Tal Rubin, said the L.A. County Superior Court jury awarded the family damages for loss of love and companionship along with the stipulated amount of lost income, which brought the total to $5.4 million. But the verdict was cut in half, to $2.7 million, because the jury found Shepard was also at fault in the fatal collision.
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