A Washington family has reached a $30 million settlement in a case involving a 13-year-old who was fatally struck while on a crosswalk with faulty lights.
The victim was identified as Michael Weilert, who died following an accident while walking on a crosswalk on July 19, 2022. The family's attorney, Evan Bariault, said that the settlement results from a suit that claimed the Washington State Department of Transportation was aware the flashing lights at the crosswalk were faulty but failed to address the issue.
Family Agrees to $30 Million Settlement Over Teen's Death
Bariault added that the case was never about the money, but instead, about finding justice for the victim and his family, and creating change and accountability. The attorney said that they learned early on that Washington state did not conduct any type of checks and balances for the crosswalk.
What this meant was that when one of the lights went out, the state was not notified that it was not operating. When the teenager died, five of the 11 crosswalks along SR-7 were not functioning properly, according to Fox13 Seattle.
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Bariault said that they hope that part of the $30 million settlement would result in the state changing its processes and procedures to ensure that there is a proper system in place to avoid the same tragedy from happening in the future.
A few days after the teenage boy died, his parents vowed to fight for a change. His mother said they taught their son everything he needed to do to be safe when trying to cross the street, such as pressing the button and waiting for cars to stop.
Creating Change and Accountability
Bariault said that while the teenager's family was grateful that the legal process in the case had finally come to a close, they noted that no amount of settlement could fill the space that was left by their son's absence, The Seattle Times reported.
In a statement, WSDOT spokesperson Kris Abrudan said that they recognize Michael's loss was "devastating for the family, friends, and the community." She added that the company is continuing to work with communities and partners to better protect the public.
The $30 million settlement in the case, which was approved by the court on Nov. 7, is believed to be the largest ever entered into by the Washington State Department of Transportation. It is also potentially the largest in the history of the state for a wrongful death case involving a minor, as per the News Tribune.
