City of Hamilton facing a $250M class action lawsuit over the Red Hill Valley Parkway

About 100 plaintiffs have joined a $250 million class action lawsuit against the city of Hamilton because of crashes that have occurred on the Red Hill Valley Parkway since it was constructed in 2007.

Robert Hooper, a personal injury lawyer says he’s been getting phone calls about crashes on the Red Hill for years. When news broke in February that the city of Hamilton had a hidden report about inadequate friction on the road that dated back to 2013, he started collaborating with an expert in class actions.

Based on available data, Hooper estimates there have been thousands of collisions on the Red Hill since it was built. The class action lawsuit was filed Thursday and Hooper had more than 50 calls the next morning.

Only the city of Hamilton is named in the suit.

Four people have died on the Red Hill since that 2013 report. The plaintiffs named in the suit include Michael Sholer’s family. The 25-year-old Caledonia man was killed on his way to work in January 2017 when, according to the lawsuit, his vehicle without any warning or logical reason started slipping on the Red Hill. It veered to the right, then to the left, went through the median and then into a transport truck.

Since February the city has lowered the speed limit on the parkway and is planning to start repaving the Red Hill on Tuesday. Hooper says those measures show the city is taking the collisions seriously now, but he says it’s six years too late.

Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger had no comment about the lawsuit.