A federal jury has settled a lawsuit with a $2.2 million settlement in favor of a jogger who was struck and killed in the crosswalk of a Silverdale intersection in 2017.
The 50-year-old victim was a Central Kitsap School District teacher. The incident happened early morning when the lady was jogging along with her friend, which she did as a routine. The victim's friend witnessed the crash and filed a lawsuit against the culprit.
According to the court documents, the crosswalk was not safely designed for pedestrians during low light, which resulted in the mishap. The county denied that the crosswalk's design was faulty, but the officials installed stop signs at the three-way intersection and have even planned to install a roundabout in 2023.
The driver who killed the lady pleaded guilty to the crime, and the jury sentenced him to a verdict of seven years in prison. The driver was penalized for speeding, and a sheriff notified he was driving with a suspended license.
A similar incident took place on 15 January 2016, where the plaintiff, who was catastrophically injured and became a quadriplegic after the accident, won $13.1 million in settlements.
The van driver, ECCTA, and Contra Costa County are blamed for the accident. The court documents stated that the driver's negligence and dangerous conditions created by ECCTA and Contra Costa County resulted in the mishap. Contra Costa County and the van driver settled the lawsuit for $11.1 million, and ECCTA settled for the insurance policy limits for $2 million.
