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Judge dismisses lawsuit over trucker's death on Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 2017

Joseph Chen's wife claimed that bridge-tunnel operators shouldn’t have allowed him to cross the span at the time he went off of it because winds were too strong.

EASTVILLE, Va. — A Virginia judge has dismissed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the widow of a trucker whose tractor-trailer plunged over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel four years ago. 

The wife of Joseph Chen of North Carolina alleged bridge-tunnel operators shouldn’t have allowed him to cross the span at the time because winds were too strong. 

An investigation by CBBT police concluded Chen was responsible for the accident that took his life.

A trial was held in December. The presiding judge ruled on Friday that the bridge-tunnel is protected by sovereign immunity as a political subdivision of Virginia. 

Sovereign immunity typically protects an entity against lawsuits that accuse any form of negligence.

The widow's attorney says an appeal is likely. The lawsuit sought $6 million in damages.

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