LARIMER COUNTY, Colo — A Larimer County jury has awarded $65 million to the 14-year-old son of a woman who was killed when a semi-truck carrying an excavator crashed into a bridge over Interstate 25.
The crash happened several years ago on I-25 near Weld County Road 34. The debris from the bridge fell onto a passing vehicle, killing Megan Arneson and injuring her then-10-year-old son.
For drivers traveling the same stretch of I-25 today, the scene may look ordinary.
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But for Arneson's family, the location remains a reminder of the crash that changed their lives.
After four years of litigation, Arneson’s family received a $65 million jury verdict.
The Dublin McQuinn Firm and Dan Caplis Law tried the case jointly.
Dan Caplis, who served as co-counsel for the family, said the jury considered the lifelong impact of losing a mother at such a young age.
“You need to consider certain things, and so one of those things you need to consider is how close the relationship was, the number of years lost,” Caplis said. “The mother was taken from this boy when he was 10, so you're talking about many, many, many years he will be without his mother.”
Caplis said the verdict is the largest jury verdict in state history against a trucking company and the largest jury verdict in Larimer County history. He also described it as one of the largest wrongful-death jury verdicts in Colorado history.
Arneson's family did not want to speak with Denver7 on camera. Through their attorney, Arneson's father shared a statement about his daughter and grandson.
“I’m grateful to the jury for this verdict because it says a lot about what an amazing mother and tremendous young woman our daughter Megan was. And about how much was taken from her son when Megan was killed.”
Caplis said the verdict was about more than the money.
He said it sends “a very loud message” to the trucking industry about the consequences of reckless driving and the value of innocent human life.
The $65 million verdict cannot bring Arneson back, but Caplis said her family hopes it will help make Colorado roads safer.
