Caltrans asks family to pay court costs 17 (UPI) -- After defending itself in a highway fatality lawsuit, the California Department of Transportation asked the plaintiff's survivors to reimburse its court costs. In June the department, known as Caltrans, won a suit brought against it in San Diego Superior Court by the husband and parents of Alexandria Drake, 25, who died three years ago in an accident on a section of California's Route 67 between the towns of Ramona and Lakeside, Calif. The plaintiffs contended the state transportation agency knew the highway was dangerous but did not make modifications to the road to improve its safety, U-T San Diego reported Monday. Caltrans has asked the family for $73,802, the cost it says it incurred defending the suit. "Caltrans represents the best interests of the people of the state of California, and this is standard procedure in such a legal case," Caltrans spokesman Edgar Cartagena said in a statement. Pamela McKeirnan, Drake's mother, said she believes Caltrans is attempting to send a message to others considering suits over accidents on the section of the road, which Caltrans statistics indicate has a per-mile fatality rate twice the state average. "I think we are the example to the community," McKeirnan said. The message is 'Don't mess with us.'