In Heirs v. State of California (San Bernardino Co. Sup. Ct.), Khaldoun A. Baghdadi and Jeffrey A. Clause secured a $4,500,000 settlement for the family of a 63-year-old Caltrans worker killed while performing traffic control on I-15. The decedent was struck and fatally injured after CHP officers failed to properly secure the accident scene while cones were being retrieved. CHP policy required protective vehicles, flares, and safety corridors, but none were deployed, leaving the decedent exposed in the travel lane. The State sought unsuccessfully to shift blame to the deceased worker and the striking vehicle driver under principles of comparative fault.
