LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO — A Larimer County jury has issued a $65 million wrongful death verdict — the largest trucking crash verdict in Colorado history — on behalf of the now-14-year-old son of Megan Arneson, a single mother and preschool teacher who was killed on August 8, 2022, when an improperly loaded excavator struck a bridge overpass on Interstate 25 near Mead and sent concrete debris through her windshield while her then-10-year-old son sat beside her.
Arneson and her son had spent the day at Water World and were heading home when the crash occurred around 6 p.m. Darnell Yingling, a driver-employee of Import Auto Inc., was hauling the excavator northbound on I-25 when the extended arm of the equipment struck the Weld County Road 34 overpass, sending a cloud of dust and concrete debris onto the northbound lanes. A large piece of concrete went through the windshield of Arneson’s Honda SUV and struck her in the head. Her son attempted to call for help. Arneson died. The boy sustained minor injuries.
Colorado State Patrol determined the excavator had been improperly loaded, causing its arm to exceed the maximum clearance height for the bridge. Yingling had received his unrestricted CDL allowing him to transport heavy equipment just four days before the crash.
In November 2023 Yingling pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide — Reckless Driving. The civil lawsuit against Yingling and Import Auto alleged the company failed to properly train Yingling and failed to inspect the load before transport, and that Yingling failed to ensure the excavator’s arm was lowered and secured before driving under the overpass.
After a five-day trial the jury unanimously found in favor of the Arneson family. The $65 million verdict represents both the largest Larimer County jury verdict and the largest trucking crash verdict in Colorado state history.
“This jury’s verdict is a message to the trucking industry that Megan’s life mattered and that reckless conduct will not be tolerated in Colorado,” said Attorney Kari Jones Dulin of Dulin McQuinn Young LLP, which represented the family.
Information courtesy of Dulin McQuinn Young LLP and local media.
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