On the afternoon of Monday, December 18, 2023, a solo vehicle left the travel way and struck an 18-inch-wide steel pole supporting an Extinguishable Message Sign on westbound Kirker Pass Road, west of Hess Road. The violent impact killed the 30-year-old driver, Joshua Butler. This is not the first death at this location.
On May 19, 2019, a solo vehicle left the travel way and struck this same 18-inch-wide steel pole, killing the driver, 18-year-old Taleah Montanez. Neither Ms. Montanez’s, nor Mr. Butler, should have died in these collisions.
The City of Concord, owner of the steel pole and property upon which it is located installed the Extinguishable Message Sign and the unguarded, non-breakaway pole too close to the high-speed roadway in 2001. The City of Concord should have designed and installed the pole at least 30 feet from the roadway, as highway design standards require, and/or shielded the pole with a guardrail.
The San Francisco trial attorneys of Abramson Smith Waldsmith LLP, currently representing the loved ones of Ms. Montanez against defendants City of Concord and the sign designer, have alleged defendants negligently designed and located the sign and its pole, creating a dangerous condition of public property.
If you or someone you loved has been injured or negligently killed on or off public property, contact the attorneys of Abramson Smith Waldsmith LLP at 415.421.7995 or www.aswllp.com.