A Monterey County jury on Wednesday awarded a former Providence, Rhode Island, councilmember $18.8 million after she was struck by a vehicle driven by a California State Parks volunteer in Point Lobos in 2023, a crash that eventually forced her to resign from public office.
The eight-figure decision for Helen Anthony is an indictment against the State of California for negligently training and supervising a state park volunteer who struck her in a marked crosswalk at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in June 2023, her attorney said.
“This verdict makes clear that the State of California cannot escape responsibility by simply labeling someone a volunteer,” said attorney Roger Dreyer, who represents Anthony. “The jury found that the state failed to properly train and supervise this individual, and that failure resulted in devastating, lifelong consequences. Public safety inside our state parks matters to every Californian.”
On June 10, 2023, Anthony, a Providence city councilmember, was visiting Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. While walking across a pedestrian crosswalk in “broad daylight,” she was hit by a vehicle driven by a state park volunteer. The injuries were catastrophic, including 20 broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury that will permanently affect her quality of life, according to medical testimony presented at trial.
The state argued that it did not bear responsibility for Anthony’s injuries because the driver who struck her was a volunteer for Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. However, during the trial, Anthony’s lawyers showed evidence that the state had offered her $50,000 to settle the case, according to Dreyer.
In a statement, the California State Parks department apologized to Anthony, expressing its “sincere and deepest sympathy” to her and her family for the injuries she incurred at the reserve. The state agency noted that the collision involving Anthony was an outlier in the services of its volunteers.
“The department is evaluating its legal options following this ruling,” the statement continued. “State Parks is thankful for the thousands of volunteers who dedicate their time to the nation’s largest state park system, and this unfortunate accident doesn’t diminish our appreciation for our docents and volunteers.”
Anthony resigned from her seat on the Providence City Council on Aug. 1, 2025 to “devote more time to her health” as she continued to recover from the injuries received during the 2023 incident.
“I’m proud to have served Ward 2 and the City of Providence and to have chaired the council’s Finance Committee. Unfortunately, the demands of those roles are hindering my ability to heal,” Anthony wrote in her resignation letter. “Over the past six years, I have been inspired by your commitment to demanding better for our schools, our environment, our city services, and our government.”
