The waters in the Sacramento Delta turned deadly for a 29-year-old boater. CMS&C uncovers five eyewitnesses to prove defendant’s negligence and win $743,837 jury verdict.
This case involved the death of Gail Vadala. The 29-year-old woman was operating a personal watercraft when Defendant Smith raced around an island on the Sacramento Delta at speeds that exceeded the lawful limit. The Defendant’s boat collided with Vadala’s boat, causing fatal injuries.
The Defendant denied responsibility for the accident, blaming it on Vadala, but CMS&C discovered five independent eyewitnesses to testify that the Defendant was speeding through the area on the wrong side of the channel. Witnesses further testified that the Defendant made no attempt to assist Vadala as she lay face down in the water, bleeding and unconscious.
CMS&C also brought in expert witnesses, including law enforcement officers, whose testimony helped prove the Defendant was guilty of operating his boat in violation of local harbor and inland navigation codes and rules, proximately causing the death of Vadala. The nine-day trial resulted in a speedy decision for Vadala’s parents and fiance.
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$743,000 Awarded in Boating Death Suit
Celeste Ward, Contra Costa Times Writer, Contra Costa Times, November 6, 2001
"A jury has awarded $743,000 to the family of a woman killed in a 1999 Delta collision with a bass-fishing boat."
