Jury places blame on Douglas County

A jury of 12 found the Douglas County Highway Department was responsible for a 2006 accident between a logging truck and an asphalt paver along Highway 35.

The verdict was handed down last week in Douglas County Circuit Court.

The original complaint had been filed by Local Government Property Insurance Fund, which provides property insurance coverage to Douglas County. The insurance company asserted the truck driver, Christopher C. Currie of Hayward, was at fault for the accident, which damaged his truck and the paver.

The accident occurred Oct. 16, 2006, one mile north of County Highway M. The highway department crew was paving the stretch of highway with hot asphalt when a light rain began to fall, forming thick steam.

Currie was flagged to proceed slowly ahead in the southbound lane. He told law enforcement officers he began to drive forward, than saw workers in the lane ahead of him, so he swerved back into the northbound lane and hit one corner of the paver. Two county employees were injured and both vehicles were damaged.

The jury also determined the fair compensation cost of the paver to be $105,000.

According to Douglas County Chairman Doug Finn, there was no cost to county taxpayers or the county for the legal action.

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