Judge dismisses widow s lawsuit over fatal Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel plunge
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EASTVILLE, Va. (AP) A Virginia judge has dismissed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the widow of a trucker whose tractor-trailer plunged over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel four years ago.
Billie Jo Chen, whose husband, Joseph, died in February 2017 shortly after his 18-wheeler plummeted into the waters, alleged the bridge-tunnel operators shouldn’t have allowed him to cross the 17.6-mile span at the time because winds were too strong.
After presiding over a December trial in Northampton County, Judge Leslie Lilley ruled on Friday the bridge-tunnel, as a political subdivision of Virginia, is protected by sovereign immunity, The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported.
Joseph Chen's wife claimed that bridge-tunnel operators shouldn’t have allowed him to cross the span at the time he went off of it because winds were too strong.
The lawsuit claimed that Joseph Chen should not have been allowed to cross the Virginia span because winds were too strong. Sovereign immunity won the day, but a judge said the bridge-tunnel's wind policy is of "obvious concern."
A Virginia judge has dismissed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the widow of a trucker whose tractor-trailer plunged over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel four years ago.
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