(Vacaville, CA) Vanessa Tobias, 29, died November 6 after an October 31 rollover on eastbound I-80 near Lagoon Valley Road that also killed her husband, Gregory Tobias, her family said.
On Saturday, at about 2:35 a.m., the couple’s blue Hyundai Tucson overturned just west of Lagoon Valley Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The SUV came to rest across the eastbound lanes. A BMW coupe, a Buick SUV and a Kia sedan then struck the overturned vehicle.
First responders pronounced Gregory Tobias, 29, dead at the scene. They took Vanessa to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center in critical condition. The Kia’s 60-year-old driver suffered major injuries, and the BMW and Buick drivers were uninjured, the CHP said. The cause of the rollover remained under investigation.
Vanessa’s mother, Heather Estebez, said in a GoFundMe update that doctors declared her daughter brain dead at 4 p.m. on November 6. Estebez said Vanessa had chosen to be an organ donor and that recipients had been identified for her heart, pancreas, kidneys and liver. Vanessa and Gregory leave behind a young son.
Analysis of the Interstate 80 Crash
The Hyundai overturned before the other three vehicles hit it. That sequence matters because the initial rollover and the later impacts could have contributed differently to the fatal injuries.
California Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 allows surviving children to bring a wrongful-death claim when another person’s wrongful act or negligence caused a parent’s death. Here, the timing of each impact and medical findings about the injuries could help establish whether a later impact contributed to either death.
The reason the Hyundai overturned and the effect of the later impacts are separate questions. Reconstructing the rollover addresses the first, while the impact sequence and medical findings can help answer the second.
For the Tobias Family
When you request the CHP report for the Interstate 80 crash, ask whether any supplemental reports documenting the three impacts after the rollover are available. Having those reports alongside the initial account can help you see which parts of the sequence investigators have established.
If you have any concerns about navigating the legal process surrounding this incident, call 888-888-9285 to speak with a lawyer.
