Man who killed Caltrans worker on Interstate 80 in Solano County is sentenced

Taje Holliman was sentenced to eight years in prison for the vehicular manslaughter in the death of Caltrans worker Quanda McGadney, who was struck while working on Interstate 80 in Solano County.

Holliman, 31, who pleaded guilty to several charges, including felony hit-and-run causing great bodily injury, drug possession and driving under the influence, was sentenced Wednesday in Solano Superior Court in Fairfield, according to the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.

At 10 a.m. on June 3, Holliman fled after striking McGadney, 51, with his car on westbound Interstate 80 in Vacaville. McGadney, a Caltrans employee who worked in landscape maintenance, was standing outside her vehicle and died at the scene. Upon arrest, Holliman was found to be on active parole and in possession of a firearm, ammunition and multiple syringes of heroin, according to the prosecutors.

Holliman, a San Francisco resident, was convicted in 2011 of first-degree murder as a juvenile in Sacramento County, according to the Vacaville Reporter.

McGadney is the 190th Caltrans worker to be killed on the job since 1921, according to the agency, and the first Caltrans District 4 employee to die in the line of duty since 2017.

“Jennifer and I were saddened to learn of the death of Caltrans Maintenance Worker Quanda McGadney, a dedicated public servant to the state for more than 18 years,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said after the incident. “We extend our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and Caltrans colleagues for their loss.”

McGadney is survived by her 9-year-old daughter, Nairobi, and her two sisters, Priscilla Stevenson and Candice McGadney.

This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 10:11 AM.