$28.16 Million Verdict Against Caltrans for Boy Struck in Unprotected Five-Lane Crosswalk

On August 16, 2022, a 13-year-old boy was walking home from football practice when he stepped into a marked crosswalk at the intersection of North Mooney Boulevard and East Cross Avenue in Tulare. The crossing spans five lanes of Highway 63, a road posted at 60 mph. There were no traffic signals, no pedestrian beacons, and no refuge island. The 90-foot crossing offered no margin for error.

A left-turning vehicle blocked sight lines in both directions. The boy could not see oncoming traffic; the oncoming driver could not see him. He was struck and sustained severe injuries requiring lifelong medical care.

The crosswalk had been designed in 2002 by the City of Tulare. Caltrans, the state transportation agency that controls the highway, had flagged the location as dangerous at the outset and recommended that the city consider an overpass instead. No overpass was built, and no traffic control was added over the following 20 years. When Caltrans repaved Mooney Boulevard in 2022, workers paved over most of the crosswalk striping, reducing the crossing's already minimal visibility.

The McClellan Law Firm filed suit on behalf of the boy through his guardian ad litem. The trial team, led by Conor J. Hulburt with Craig McClellan, argued that the intersection constituted a dangerous condition of public property under California law. Expert witnesses testified that the left-turn sightline obstruction was a foreseeable hazard that Caltrans had both the authority and the obligation to correct.

After a three-week trial, a Tulare County jury returned a verdict of $28,163,528 on May 28, 2025 (Case No. VCU297860). The jury found Caltrans 90% liable and apportioned 10% to the plaintiff. The City of Tulare was found not liable. The $25,347,175 share attributable to Caltrans is reported as the largest verdict in Tulare County history for a case involving dangerous conditions on a public roadway. No appeal or remittitur reducing the award has been reported as of the date of publication.