Georgia Department of Transportation Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The Georgia Department of Transportation has agreed to pay $600,000 dollars to settle a wrongful death lawsuit, arising from a taxi accident that killed a 51-year-old woman.Patricia Heller was killed when her taxi went out of control and crashed into a tree.She suffered fatal injuries.
Her husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the taxi driver, the taxi company, a former city inspector and the Georgia Department of Transportation.The lawsuit alleged that the taxi had bald tires on the day of the accident, and had passed a city inspection just one day before the crash.The lawsuit also accused the Department Of Transportation of negligent design of that section of Interstate 85, alleging that a tree should not have been allowed to grow so close to the roadway.The lawsuit also alleged that the slope was too steep, and the drainage system was poor.
Last month, a Fulton County court ruled that the tree clearance came under the jurisdiction of the city of Hapeville, and not the Department of Transportation.However, the negligent design claim was allowed to go ahead.Now, the Georgia Department of Transportation has agreed to pay $600,000 to settle the wrongful death lawsuit.It has also apologized to Heller’s family, including her husband and two children.
Since the accident, the Georgia Department of Transportation has established a more expansive tree clearance program.However, the agency says it has no plans of making any changes to its drainage system or the slope design, because it doesn’t believe any changes are needed
The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of auto accidents in the metro Atlanta region and around Georgia.