Nearly a year ago, a two-vehicle crash on Highway 46 left one person dead and another seriously injured.
Now, the surviving spouse has filed a lawsuit against multiple parties, alleging wrongful death, negligence, and dangerous condition of public property.
RELATED STORY: Authorities investigating fatal crash on Highway 46 in Paso Robles
Ruben Berdeja III, 55, died in the June 2025 crash. His wife, Lisa Berdeja, survived but sustained serious injuries.
The lawsuit names the driver of the other vehicle, Vina Robles Amphitheatre, VR Group Inc., the City of Paso Robles, the County of San Luis Obispo, and Caltrans as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, the crash happened after a concert at the amphitheatre. The Berdejas' were exiting the venue at Mill Road and Highway 46, heading northbound, with the intent to make a left turn, when another vehicle traveling eastbound, reportedly going 15 miles over the speed limit, struck them broadside.
The lawsuit claims this is not the first time a crash like this has happened at that intersection. It cites at least five previous injury crashes dating back to 2021, all involving a northbound vehicle from Mill Road struck by an eastbound driver on Highway 46.
The documents state: "The severity escalated from minor injuries in 2021, to severe injuries in September 2024, to fatal on June 18, 2025."
Data requested by KSBY from Paso Robles police shows that between 2016 and 2026, the Mill Road intersection cited in the lawsuit has had at least 13 injury collisions, including one fatal.
The lawsuit also cites a witness who was in line to exit the concert at the time of the crash. That witness says after the collision, Vina Robles staff began moving a sign to redirect traffic eastbound.
Nearby residents who did not want to go on camera and frequent travelers say speeding on the highway is nothing new.
"It's okay, but when you see them start speeding, just too crazy. They got to slow down," said Soprano Diaz, a Bakersfield motorcyclist.
"Actually, people drive quite fast, and it's really not, I don't see too big of a hazard, but it's sometimes where the people are driving quite fast," said John Augusto, who commutes from Lemoore.
Over the past two months, KSBY Community Reporter Leslie Molina reached out multiple times to the City of Paso Robles Public Works Department, Vina Robles Amphitheatre, and this week, Nederlander, who just announced its acquisition of the venue. None have responded to Molina's requests for comment on the lawsuit or whether any changes are planned at the intersection.
