Family seeking millions for Sebastopol crosswalk injury

A civil trial is underway in Sonoma County Superior Court that could be worth millions of dollars in damages to the family of a teenager who was struck in a Sebastopol crosswalk more than five years ago and suffered a debilitating brain injury.

The family of Julia Bertoli is suing the city and Caltrans over road conditions on Highway 116 near Florence Avenue that they claim contributed to the July 3, 2009, accident.

Bertoli, then 15, was walking across the street with three friends to watch fireworks at Analy High School when she was hit by a car driving on what is also known as Healdsburg Avenue. She was thrown nearly 40 feet, crashed head-first into the pavement and remained in a coma for weeks after.

Now the 20-year-old woman, who lives in Rohnert Park, struggles to meet basic needs and has medical bills of at least $2.5 million.

Her family sued to recoup their expenses, alleging the city was obligated to trim trees near the crosswalk that cast shadows on the roadway, making it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians. Attorneys for the city claim Caltrans is responsible for the upkeep.

The stretch of Healdsburg Avenue through downtown Sebastopol has had several major-injury collisions and at least one fatal accident involving a car and a pedestrian. Last April, 69-year-old Frederic Ernst was struck and killed in a lighted, flashing Healdsburg Avenue crosswalk a few hundred feet from where Bertoli was hit. The car that hit him was traveling west, toward the setting sun.

The intersection where Bertoli was hit had been identified 10 years before the accident as one of several intersections in need of improvement for pedestrian safety.

The Bertolis already have settled with other defendants, including Linda Chilvers of Forestville, the driver of the 2003 Toyota Corolla that struck Bertoli.

Opening trial statements started earlier this week. More statements and testimony resume Friday morning before Judge Gary Nadler.

The trial is expected to run through mid-April.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated the number of friends Bertoli was with when she was hit in the crosswalk. This story has been updated with that information.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.