California Dangerous Roadway Death Attorneys
Public Property Lawsuit · Public Entity Employee Negligence
When someone is killed on public property, whether because of the negligence of a government or public employee, or a dangerous condition of public property, a government can be liable for wrongful death damages. This is true whether the dangerous condition or negligent conduct is traced to a state employee, a city, a county, a school district, water district or hospital board, or other public entity. The California wrongful death law specialists at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger have concluded more than 500 cases in the last 50 years against various public entities, including, the City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County, Marin County, Alameda County, Sonoma County, the Golden Gate Bridge Transit District, the State of California, SamTrans, Caltrans, the San Francisco Water Department, the California Highway Patrol, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Postal Service, and the United States Government.
Need A Wrongful Death Lawyer In California?
If you have suffered the loss of a loved one from a severe injury or accident in California, Walkup Melodia can help you. Please contact us online or call now (888) 564-8254 for an immediate consultation with a wrongful death lawyer in San Francisco.
Our California public entity wrongful death specialists have expertise in the preparation and trial of cases involving dangerous roadways. In the State of California, all state highways are owned and maintained by the California Department of Transportation, referred to as "Caltrans." Lawsuits for wrongful death alleging dangerous conditions of public property are complicated and expensive — our highway design wrongful death team understands how to successfully prosecute such cases. Our wrongful death dangerous roadway lawyers have handled cases involving highways that are unsafe because of:
- Road resurfacing;
- Poorly designed bridge abutments, guardrails and median dividers;
- Negligently managed construction zones, including those that do not have proper or visible signage;
- Inadequate temporary lighting at road resurfacing or construction projects, rendering pedestrians, other vehicles and landmarks difficult or impossible to see;
- Bad road design, including lanes that are too narrow or turns that are improperly banked;
- Surface defects including potholes, loose gravel, or other payment hazards that cause vehicles to go out of control.
Californians trust state highway maintenance engineers make certain that our highways are safe. All California citizens and motorists are entitled to drive on public roadways that have been properly built and maintained. Where improper maintenance or design results in death, the law firm of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger is ready to step in and help.
In addition to dangerous conditions of public property, the public entity wrongful death specialists at Walkup, Melodia have extensive experience in representing citizens who have been injured through the negligence of public transportation systems including the San Francisco Municipal Railway, SamTrans, Golden Gate Trans buses, Golden Gate Transit ferries, San Francisco Municipal Railway cable cars, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and Caltrain. Northern California citizens are killed each year as a result of public transportation errors and negligence. Under California law, public transportation systems are known as "common carriers," which means they are required to operate with the highest degree of care possible to ensure the safety of their passengers. When negligent and dangerous operation results in death, public entities are liable. Additionally, public entities are required to maintain their vehicles in a manner that is safe and fit, consistent with the "highest degree of care" to avoid serious or fatal injury to their passengers.
Our California public entity lawsuit attorneys have been the most successful in Northern California, obtaining millions of dollars for the survivors of deceased clients killed by public transportation negligence. If a member of your family or a loved one has been fatally injured by the act or omission of a public employee, contact us today.
Contact our California public entity negligence and death lawyers today. Make an appointment for a free consultation. 1.888.564.8254 or 1.415.658.9310.
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Examples of Our Success
Woman Killed by Falling Tree Branch - $1,000,000 Settlement for Surviving Son and Grandchildren
Our wrongful death attorneys negotiated a settlement in the amount of $1,000,000 against the City of Pacific Grove on behalf of the surviving heirs of a woman killed when a 30-foot length of a diseased Monterey pine tree fractured and fell, striking and killing her at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove. In the course of pre-trial discovery, Walkup wrongful death attorneys were able to prove through percipient and expert witnesses that at least six pine trees, each in excess of 100 feet in height, had been tagged several years earlier for removal because of the very risk that resulted in this tragedy. The plaintiffs included the son and daughter of the deceased, and three of her grandchildren. The son and grandchildren witnessed the death, and accordingly had claims for both emotional distress and wrongful death. Under the terms of the settlement, the defense contributed funds in the form of cash and future structured payments.
Driver Collides With Fallen Tree on Highway - $800,000 Death Claim Settlement
Our wrongful death attorneys negotiated an $800,000 settlement after three days of trial in a dangerous condition of public property case against the State of California. The claim was brought on behalf of the surviving wife and two children of a 59-year-old man who crashed into a fallen tree on State Route 1 late at night. Plaintiffs claimed that the tree fell because it was infected with pine pitch chancre, a disease well known to Caltrans maintenance personnel in southern San Mateo County. The tree fell such that the root ball remained elevated on a hillside, with the tree suspended above the roadway surface like a clothesline. The decedent, driving a van, was transporting commercial goods to Watsonville, and never saw the tree before impact. Plaintiffs argued that the fallen tree constituted a dangerous condition of public property, and that the state knew or should have known of the problem because it had previously cut down a number of Monterey pines with the same symptoms.
