In what appears to be the largest personal injury settlement in Washington state's history, the city of Seattle and its insurers paid $65.75 million to the family of a lawyer who suffered a brain injury when her car collided with a Seattle Fire Department ambulance in 2016.
The victim's income was a significant factor in determining the amount of settlement. According to the claim, on April 24, 2016, while she was driving her Porsche 911 Carrera towards the west on Seneca Street through a green light, a Seattle Fire Department aid unit heading north on Fourth Avenue crashed into her car. The aid car hit the victim's sports coupe in the left rear quarter panel which resulted in it to go counter-clockwise spin and bang into a traffic signal box and a tree which was near the northwest corner of the intersection. While the city-employed driver said he had activated the lights and siren, he was actually required by Washington law to only proceed through a red traffic light after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation. The victim claimed that the driver did none.
The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center after she suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the accident. Her family filed claims for damages in September 2017, and the parties agreed to settle the case in October after a judge approved the settlement on December 27. After the fatal accident, the Seattle Fire Department revised their training and instructions for the drivers of the aid-car.
A similar lawsuit was settled on Friday, October 26, 2018, where Dallas District Judge Dale Tillery upheld a $242M verdict awarded against Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) and Toyota Motor Sales. The accident happened in 2016 and resulted in permanent brain damage to two small children. Both the companies were found guilty of manufacturing defect of their vehicles. As per the settlement Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) is ordered to pay 95% of the penalty, whereas the remaining 5% will be levied upon Toyota Motor Sales.
