New York, February 12 The family of an Indian student, who was killed in January 2023 when she was struck by a police vehicle in Seattle, has reached a $29 million settlement with the city, according to a media report.
Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave as she was crossing a street on January 23, 2023.
Dave was driving at 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on his way to a call about a drug overdose. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was hit by the speeding police patrol vehicle.
PubliCola reported that the Seattle City Attorney's Office reached a settlement with Kandula's family last week.
"Jaahnavi Kandula's death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some closure to the Kandula family," city attorney Erika Evans said in the report.
"We also recognize that her loss has left unimaginable pain. Jaahnavi Kandula's life mattered. It mattered to her family, to her friends, and to our community," she added.
In September 2024, the family sued the City of Seattle and Dave for $110 million, as well as an additional $11,000.
The settlement totals approximately $29 million, and the $11,000 amount, the report said.
The additional amount in the lawsuit was in reference to "callous remarks" made by Seattle Police Department officer Daniel Auderer.
In their claim, filed in King County Superior Court, attorneys wrote that Kandula "experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying."
Last year, Interim Chief of the Seattle Police Department Sue Rahr said that she had fired Dave.
Auderer was also fired following his insensitive comments and laughter after Kandula's death.
Bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department showed Auderer laughing after the deadly crash and remarking that "Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car…But she is dead.” After making these comments, Auderer "laughed hard for four seconds," the department’s Disciplinary Action Report said.
Auderer's body-worn camera also captured him as saying, "Yeah, just write a check. Just, yeah (laughter). $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”
When asked at an Office of Police Accountability interview about his comments that Kandula had "limited value," Auderer claimed he was "mocking the city attorneys who would be tasked with litigating a potential wrongful death lawsuit."
Rahr had said in an internal email, seen by news agency PTI, that the hurt Auderer's words inflicted on Kandula's family "cannot be erased. The actions (of) this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.”
The Consulate General of India in Seattle had worked consistently with authorities and law enforcement officials to ensure justice in the case, with Auderer’s firing and the action against Dave bringing a sense of closure and justice for Kandula’s family.
The Consulate had been in regular touch with Kandula’s family representatives and had said that it would continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family.