CalFire Agrees to $15 Million Settlement To Resolve Fatal Case Involving Fire Truck and Passenger Vehicle

Truck v. Auto

Elsa Espinosa, et al. v. State of California, et al. (Napa County Super Ct. No. 21CV000225): In late September 2024, CalFire agreed to plaintiff’s offer of $15 million to settle a fatal case where Vanessa Espinoza was killed after an accident where her vehicle was struck by a fire truck in Nappa Valley. While in route to a fire, Vanessa’s vehicle was broadsided in an intersection by the fire truck. She succumbed to her injuries several days later. Plaintiffs, Vanessa’s parents, sued CalFire, alleging that the driver of the fire truck sped through the intersection in violation of CalFire’s internal policies, and that the driver also violated California vehicle code. Plaintiff further argued that even if the driver had been exempted from entering the intersection, he owed a duty of care to all persons on the roadway to drive in a responsible and reasonable manner given the circumstances. Defendants argued that the driver acted reasonable, and alleged that Vanessa was distracted by her cell phone at the time of the accident. Defendant CalFire agreed to plaintiff’s settlement proposal prior to trial to resolve the matter. Plaintiffs were represented by Herinrich Law PC and Lamb & Frischer Law Firm LLP. CalFire was represented by David L. Wiseman.