By Admin 
The US city of Seattle has agreed to a $29 million (about Rs 262 crore) settlement with the family of 23-year-old Indian student Jhanvi Kandula, who was hit by a speeding police car while crossing the road in 2023. That means the victim’s family will get a compensation of about Rs 262 crore. This matter came into limelight at that time and now a legal settlement has been reached on it.
were driving at high speed
Jhanvi Kandula was hit by officer Kevin Dave. He was going on a drug overdose call and the speed of his vehicle was around 119 km/hr, whereas the speed limit in that area was around 40 km/hr. According to the report, the emergency lights of the vehicle were on and sirens were also sounded at the intersections.
City administration statement
City Attorney Erica Evans said in a statement, ‘Jhanvi Kandula’s death was extremely tragic. The city hopes that this financial settlement will provide some relief to the Kandula family. His life mattered – to his family, friends and our community.
Jhanvi was studying
Jhanvi was pursuing a master’s degree in Information Systems at the campus of Northeastern University in Seattle. The matter gained momentum when another police officer’s body camera recording surfaced, in which the officer was heard laughing and reportedly saying that Jhanvi’s life had a ‘limited value’ and the city should ‘just write a cheque’. After this comment, anger increased among the people and protests took place. Indian diplomats also demanded an investigation.
action against concerned officials
The officer heard in the recording, Daniel Orderer, who was also a union leader, was later fired. He has sued the city for wrongful termination. He says his comment was meant to criticize the lawyers’ possible reaction. The officer driving the vehicle, Kevin Dave, was also fired by the police department. He was convicted of careless driving and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.
However, King County prosecutors declined to bring serious criminal charges against him. He said that it could not be proved that he deliberately ignored security. It has been told that out of this $29 million settlement, about $20 million will be given by the city’s insurance company.