Suit filed against trucking firm, driver in crash death of SF socialite

By Jim Greene

Published on September 14, 2005

Erika Hills died Aug. 17 when the fifth-wheel trailer, carrying five tons of wine cellar cave drilling equipment, detached from the Dodge Ram pickup that was pulling it on a Napa County road near Hills' home. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), her Mercedes-Benz sports sedan was nearly torn in half by the impact.

The lawsuit alleges that the pickup and trailer were unsafe. It was filed Monday in Napa County Superior Court against the businesses of Glen and Shirley Ragsdale, owners of the vehicles, and driver Arnulfo Avina, who was not injured in the crash. Plaintiffs are Austin Edward Hills, the victim's husband, whose family founded Hills Brothers Coffee, and Austin Eric Hills and Justin Hills, the couple's children.

The CHP said Tuesday that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be factors at the time of the crash, but that its investigation is not complete.

According to the suit, the trailer's brakes and the mechanism attaching it to the pickup were in poor repair, citing corrosion and alleging poor maintenance. The family's attorney said the accident could have been prevented. He compared the pickup and trailer to a bomb set off on the road that killed an innocent bystander.

Comment on this article →