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Widow’s lawsuit over fatal Chesapeake Bay plunge to be heard

NORFOLK, Va. — A trial involving a widow’s lawsuit filed over the death of her husband who was killed when his tractor-trailer plunged over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel begins in a Virginia court.

The Virginian-Pilot reported in January that the lawsuit filed by Billie Jo Chen against the CBBT says the bridge-tunnel’s own wind and gauge policy should have prohibited Joseph Chen from crossing the bridge in 2017.

Billie Jo Chen is suing for $6 million. CBBT is claiming sovereign immunity, which typically protects governmental entities from negligence lawsuits.

A CBBT police investigation concluded Joseph Chen was responsible for the accident. The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Completing the FAFSA: Everything you should know

Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens by Dec. 31, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college. Some states now make completing the FAFSA a high school graduation requirement. The U.S. Department of Education awarded about $111.6 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study funds in fiscal year 2022, according to the most recent Federal Student Aid annual report. Those federal funds will assist roughly 9.8 million students in completing their education.
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