FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A Larimer County jury has awarded $65 million to the 14-year-old son of Megan Arneson, who was brutally killed on August 8, 2022. The verdict represents the largest truck-crash jury verdict in Colorado history and the largest jury verdict in Larimer County history.

On the day she was killed, Megan Arneson, a devoted single mother and preschool teacher, took the day off work to spend time with her 10-year-old son. The two spent the day at Water World and were traveling home on northbound I-25 near Mead when a tractor-trailer carrying a large excavator approached the Weld County Road 34 overpass.

The excavator was being transported by Darnell Yingling, an employee of Import Auto Inc. Yingling had obtained his unrestricted commercial driver’s license permitting him to independently transport heavy equipment just days before the crash. When Yingling loaded the excavator onto the flatbed trailer, he did not lower the excavator’s arm. As the tractor-trailer approached the overpass, the extended arm of the excavator struck the bridge, causing large blocks of concrete to fall onto the northbound lanes of I-25.

A large piece of concrete then penetrated the windshield of Megan’s vehicle and struck her in the head. Megan died at the scene. Her young son, who was sitting in the backseat, came to his mother’s aid and stayed by her side while he bravely called for help.

The Colorado State Patrol investigated the crash and determined that the excavator had been improperly loaded onto the trailer, causing its arm to exceed the maximum clearance height of the overpass.

Dan Caplis Law represented Megan’s son in the wrongful death case and, in 2022, filed multiple claims against Yingling and Import Auto Inc. The case alleged, among other things, that Yingling’s conduct was reckless, and that Import Auto Inc. failed to properly train its driver and failed to adequately inspect the load before it was transported.

The case was ultimately tried before a Larimer County jury. After approximately nine hours of deliberation over two days, the jury returned a $65 million verdict in favor of Megan’s son.

Dan Caplis, Founder and Partner of Dan Caplis Law, represented the family at trial alongside Managing Partner John Kellner.

During closing argument, Dan Caplis told the jurors:

Love is spelled T-I-M-E. Megan devoted her entire life to her son. She spent all of her time outside of work with her boy. She raised him to be an outstanding young man of great character. There was nothing more valuable in the world to this young man than his mother, and these defendants took her from him. Under Colorado law the verdict must reflect the full magnitude of all that was taken from this boy, as well as the horrific way in which his mother was killed.

Statement from Attorney Dan Caplis:

“This verdict sends a powerful message to the trucking industry that Colorado jurors will hold reckless truckers fully responsible for all of the harm they cause. The jurors also sent a loud and clear message about what a wonderful mother Megan was, and how valuable innocent human life is.”

Statement from Megan’s father, Brian Christianson:

“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. I also believe that this verdict will send a loud message that will help make the roads safer for everyone.”