Highway sentenced to pay millions of pesos in damages for accident on Route 68

SANTIAGO.- The Santiago Court of Appeals has sentenced the concession holder Rutas del Pacífico, which operates the Toll Route 68, to pay $9,294,088 pesos in damages to the driver of vehicle that crashed into a horse on the highway in May of 2002.

The magistrates of the Seventh Court of Appeals, Carlos Gajardo, Emilio Elgueta and visiting attorney Enríque Pérez, unanimously sentenced the company to pay damages to Cristián Federico Concha Soffia, the victim of the crash that occurred at kilometer 57 of the road linking Santiago and Valparaíso when his vehicle hit a horse.

The ruling establishes that the toll road company must pay the sum of money to plaintiff due to a lack of proper service for not maintaining the barriers that are designed to keep animals from entering the highway.

The ruling also abolishes any responsibility that the owner of the animal may have had for the damage caused by the accident.