$3.25 Million Settlement Reached in Fresno Police Fatality Case

Fresno, California – The family of Christopher Walker, a father of ten-year-old twins who was struck and killed by Fresno Police Officer David Hutchason, has secured a $3.25 million settlement with the City of Fresno. The resolution follows discovery that contradicted the City’s initial claim that Walker stepped into the roadway while heavily intoxicated.

Walker was walking home on a dimly lit Fresno County road when he was hit by Officer Hutchason, who was on duty but not responding to a call. While early reports framed the crash as unavoidable, evidence obtained during litigation revealed that Hutchason was driving above the speed limit and distracted by his cell phone. 

The Fresno Police Department chose to investigate the fatal collision internally rather than bringing in an outside agency. During that investigation, critical body-camera footage was not recorded, key conversations went undocumented, and Hutchason’s work-issued phone — a likely source of distraction evidence — was discarded despite two preservation letters from plaintiffs’ counsel.

Forensic experts later challenged a postmortem toxicology report listing Walker’s BAC at 0.26. Traumatic injury and the coroner’s failure to collect vitreous humor fluid, a standard cross-check sample, rendered the result scientifically unreliable. Even if trace alcohol were present, experts concluded it would not have caused the collision.

“This was a tragedy that never should have happened,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Adam Carlson. “The city’s investigation failed these children twice. First, by allowing unsafe conduct to take their father’s life, and again by failing to uncover the truth.”

The settlement, approved by the City and finalized through a court-reviewed minor’s compromise, ensures financial protection for Walker’s children and publicly acknowledges the preventable circumstances surrounding his death.

At Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook, clients always meet directly with the attorney who handles their case, getting one-on-one attention from a dedicated advocate. They work with investigators, medical specialists, and experts to help develop the strongest cases possible for their clients.

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