Canton couple awarded $35 million in landmark verdict against city of Milton for son's tragic death
MILTON, Ga. - A Canton couple has been awarded $35 million from the city of Milton for the death of their son.
A Fulton County jury recently decided the city of Milton was responsible for a Yale University student’s untimely death, following a one car accident.
Joshua Chang had so much promise. He was the salutatorian of his high school class and months away from graduating from Yale when this accident happened.
"You don’t need me to cherish those moments and remember the past," Joshua Chang told his High School classmates back in 2013.
The sky was the limit for Chang who was the Woodstock High School salutatorian l.
He would go on to double major in mechanical engineering and economics in college.
His attorney says he likely swerved to miss a deer and struck this concrete planter on the shoulder of Batesville Road. The 21-year-old died instantly.
His parents are heartbroken.
"Who will take responsibility? I knew all those years, that wasn’t Joshua’s fault. But I had to wait 6.5 years to get Justice. It is so hard," his mom Rebecca Zhu recalled.
The police investigation concluded Josh wasn’t speeding or driving recklessly, nor was he distracted by his cellphone.
A Fulton County jury decided the city of Milton was responsible for the dangerous planter near the road just last Thursday.
"The city just dropped the ball and didn’t remove a dangerous object located on the shoulder of the road that was in clear violation of its own ordinance," Family Attorney Jeff Harris recalled.
Mr. Harris hopes this $35 million verdict will put other cities on notice to address road hazards.
Meanwhile, Josh’s parents say time hasn’t healed the pain they feel in the loss of their only child.
"As parents, my whole life was about Josh. He was my world and now this tragedy just turned my world upside down," Mrs. Zhu said with a cracked in her voice.
FOX 5 contacted the city of Milton for a comment, but we have yet to hear back from them.