There are some things people can walk away from, but a car accident is just one of those things that can change your life forever.

Drew Bianchi dreamed of going to medical school. The 23-year-old Bakersfield man was finishing up community college when the accident occurred in May 3, 2007 on Highway 152.

He was headed to a camping trip with three other men and was seated at the back seat of a Toyota Avalon when two trucks collided, the other veering towards Bianchi and crushing near the center line of the two-lane highway, with one veering towards the Toyota and directly crushing where Bianchi was seated.

Bianchi’s body and dream was crushed. He was left permanently brain damaged and in need of round-the-clock medical care for the rest of his life. Highway 152’s Pacheco Pass has been called “blood alley”.

The jury, who recently rendered a decision, ruled in overwhelming favor for Bianchi’s fate. The Santa Clara County jury awarded more than $49 million in damages. The California Department of Transportation also agreed to pay Bianchi $10 million to settle claims based on allegations that they did not take steps to correct the safety issues on Highway 152.

The two truck drivers were clearly negligent, one “just happened to drift towards the center line” while the other was talking on his cell phone before he hit the other truck. Caltrans is just as much to blame because they never took the time to fix the conditions of Pacheco Pass.

The value of a human life cannot be measured and while some may feel that the amount is too exorbitant, what was lost in the accident was a young man’s life and his dreams.

Drew Bianchi was in a truck accident and he survived. But how the accident left him is something he can never walk away from, because now, he will never walk or have the chance to live the life he dreamed of.