State wins wrongful death suit

Friday, March 27, 1998 | 10:44 a.m.

The jury deliberated about 30 minutes before bringing in its verdict late Thursday.

The widow and other survivors of Ralph Parker filed suit, claiming the state was negligent in failing to plow and sand the highway or to warn motorists of a winter storm that dumped snow on Interstate 80 on Jan. 30, 1993.

Deputy Attorney General Bob Bryant said Friday that Parker had been driving all day from Sacramento, Calif., to return home to Utah when his car hit the snow and flipped. He wasn't wearing a seat belt and was ejected. Injured was his wife Lorraine and an adopted son.

Bryant and Senior Deputy Attorney General Pierre Gezelin said the state Transportation Department had responded promptly to the storm and had the highway in a safe condition. Bryant was driving too fast for the winter conditions, according to the Transportation Department.

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