The City of Bakersfield has agreed a $22 million settlement to resolve a civil lawsuit over a 2023 police-involved crash that killed Mario Lares and left passenger Ana Hernandez with life-altering injuries.

The claim, filed in 2023, focussed on a collision at the rural junction of South Vineland Drive and Muller Road in poor visibility, and alleged failures in both driving conduct and compliance with emergency-response policy. It also followed criminal proceedings against the officer at the wheel, former Bakersfield Police Department officer Ricardo Robles.

With the parties deep into pre-trial hearings and jury selection, the city moved to settle rather than take the case to verdict.

The plaintiffs alleged Robles drove through a stop sign at close to 80mph without activating overhead lights or a siren, before he crashed into a 2013 Honda Accord that housed both Lares and Hernandez.

The lawsuit further contended that the pursuit had been called off by supervisors before the crash, and that the officer’s approach to a “clearly marked” stop at a poorly lit intersection breached Code 3 requirements for clearing junctions under emergency conditions.

Robles later entered a no contest plea to vehicular manslaughter in 2024 and was sentenced to probation and community service, a comparatively light punishment set against the severity of the consequences outlined in the civil filings.

As a result, the $22m agreement reached on 23 February 2026 closes the civil case without a jury being asked to apportion fault in open court, while still delivering a financial award to Hernandez and Lares’s family.

“This case is about a life that was lost and a life that was permanently changed,” said Daniel Rodriguez, founder and president of Rodriguez & Associates. “Mario should be here. Ana continues to live with the consequences of that night. While no amount can restore what was taken, this settlement provides meaningful support for both families and affirms that responsibility matters when public safety policies are ignored.”

Rodriguez led the plaintiffs’ trial team alongside partners Chantal Trujillo and Danay Gonzalez and associate Alexis Paredez, with the city represented by Mick Marderosian and co-counsel Heather Cohen, and Robles represented by William A. Bruce.

The settlement now pivots its attention to what, if anything, Bakersfield changes operationally.