The family of a 13-year-old boy killed while going through a crosswalk that constantly had a signal malfunction will receive $30 million in a settlement with Washington state.
Michael Weilert was riding his bike at a crosswalk in Parkland on July 19, 2022, when a car hit him, throwing his body across the intersection. He later died from his injuries.
A lawsuit filed by his family against the state claimed that before crossing the street, Weilert had pressed a button that was supposed to activate flashing beacons to alert cars that he was using the crosswalk. But unknown to Weilert, one of those beacons had not been functioning, the suit alleged.
The driver of a Jeep continued through the intersection as Weilert was crossing the street. With her view of Weilert obstructed by a pickup truck in the next lane, she struck him. Weilert was with a friend when the crash occurred.
The suit, citing Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance reports, alleged the state was aware as far back as May 31, 2022, that one of the flashing beacons at the crosswalk was “missing parts and not functioning.”
The Transportation Department failed not only to fix the beacon but to warn drivers and pedestrians that it was not functioning properly, according to the suit.
“Through its inaction, the State effectively lured Michael Weilert into a trap that resulted in his death,” the suit read.
The Transportation Department confirmed to The Independent, following media reports, that it has agreed to pay $30 million to Weilert’s family.
“While the state has reached a settlement with the family, we recognize that the loss of Michael Weilert was devastating for the family, friends and the community,” the department said. “WSDOT continues to work with communities and partners toward our state’s Target Zero goals. One tragic incident like this is one too many.”
Washington’s Target Zero plan aims to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths and serious injuries to zero by the year 2030.
Evan Bariault, the Weilert family’s attorney, told Fox 13, “We hope that part of this settlement will involve the state changing its processes and procedures and ensuring that there's a system in place to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again.”
Weilert’s parents said shortly after the tragic incident that their son “did everything right.”
"He didn’t ride through a stop sign. He wasn’t just riding down the center of the road. He actually pushed the button. They waited. They did everything right,” Weilert’s father, David, said in a July 2022 article from Fox 13.
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