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PLEASANT HILL — The family of a man who was this city’s public information officer has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the truck driver involved in the fatal crash and several related companies, but they insist it has just as much to do with saving lives as it is in seeking accountability for the one that was lost.
Martin Nelis, 54, died on Aug. 2, 2018, after being hit by a truck in the 1800 block of Reliez Valley Road, near Withers Avenue, in Lafayette. Nelis acted as the city of Pleasant HIll’s spokesman for a decade.
Jagmeet Singh Hundal is suspected of driving the truck, though authorities never filed criminal charges against him. The lawsuit also names Nudal G Trans Inc., Greg’s Trucking Service, Inc., Advance Pipeline Services, Inc., Hawk Builders Inc., and Signature Development Group Inc. — all companies Hundal is alleged to be doing business with.
According to authorities, Nelis was on his daily bike ride at lunch when the crash occurred. A truck attempted to pass, and the trailer it was pulling hit Nelis.
“We’re devastated obviously,” said Aidan Maguire, Nelis’ son. “I just spoke with my two younger sisters (Fiona Nelis and Deidre Nelis), and not a day goes by that it seems to get any easier. For me personally, it’s been extremely challenging, because he was my best friend.”
Attempts to reach Hundal could not be immediately reached for comment.
Video taken from a home surveillance camera and provided to authorities shows the truck passing Nelis moments before the impact. Whether the truck maintained the 3-foot distance between the road and Nelis’ bike, in accordance with the Three Feet for Safety Act, is up for debate.
“We want people to become more aware of this law in California, because biking is very popular,” said J. Kevin Morrison, Nelis’ attorney. “The second is to hold accountable, those who don’t obey that law. We don’t want this to happen to any other family. We share the road with a lot of things, not just cars. Drivers have to learn to share the roads.”
Hundal drove off after the crash, police said, then came back and spoke with officers. According to the lawsuit, police concluded Hundal was unaware that he had hit Nelis. The lawsuit contends that the truck dragged Nelis’ bike for more than a mile.
Nelis died at the scene.
The lawsuit also alleges that Hundal violated the conditions of a construction permit by driving on the road. The lawsuit states that that Hundal was doing working for the Hylands Collection, a luxury housing development in Lafayette, and that the building permit obtained by Signature Development Group, Inc., required that large trucks stay off the stretch of Reliez Valley Road where the crash happened.