The family of a Holyoke woman who died in a crosswalk in 2017 after getting hit by a driver has been awarded $7M in a wrongful death suit. In addition to this amount, the compounded interest will also be added, which makes the settlement amount to be more than $9.5M.
The plaintiff at the time of her death on November 27, 2017, was 52 years old, working as a teacher with The Literacy Project.
The victim's daughters filed the lawsuit where they alleged that the driver who struck their mother with his motor was negligent while entering the crosswalk by taking a left turn. The driver who was then 63 years old hit the woman at the intersection of Lyman and Canal streets.
According to an ophthalmologist who is one of the witnesses, the driver struggles to see in his left and this is the reason why he was unable to see the woman while taking a left turn into the Lyman/Canal street intersection. After this fatal accident, the driver’s driving license was suspended indefinitely by the authorized body.
As per the statement given by the law firm of the plaintiff, the verdict given by the jury of the Hampden Superior Court includes $3M each for two surviving daughters of the woman, $1 million for the suffering that the woman and her family went through and more than $2.5M as compounded interest.
The driver’s automobile insurance company was initially offering far less than what the woman’s family was seeking. However, just after three days of trial, the company admitted to the driver’s negligence after eyewitnesses were brought in this case. Hampden District Attorney’s office stated that the driver was available at the time of the accident and he did not run away, also he fully cooperated with police, therefore no criminal offense was applied to him.
