A Fulton County jury awarded $35 million last month to parents who sued the city of Milton after their son was killed in a single-car accident in 2016.
Law firm Harris Lowry Manton filed a wrongful death suit in 2022 on behalf of John Chang and Rebecca Zhu and the estate of their late son, Joshua Chang.
He was a Yale University senior home for a Thanksgiving holiday week in 2016 when he died.
Chang had spent most of the day visiting friends in Atlanta, according to the lawsuit and was driving to his Canton home when he swerved possibly to avoid a deer and hit a large planter that was in the right-of-way.
The accident occurred on Batesville Road near Little River Farm event venue.
The suit says Chang suffered blunt force trauma from the collision and died as a result. No drugs or alcohol were found in Chang’s system, according to the law firm, and he was not on the phone or speeding.
Milton issued a statement Friday, saying details are being finalized.
“Once that proceeds and we know more, our attorneys will review the court’s decision and identify next steps.”
The lawsuit noted that the city’s code of ordinances calls for “providing a traversable recovery area” along the road. The city code also states fixed objects that “may pose a safety hazard are not allowed within the right-of-way.”
“That planter had been there for at least eight years, and possibly as many as 10,” attorneys for the firm said in a statement. “The city of Milton knew it was there, but never removed it nor required the property owner to remove it.”
About the Author
