Family of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula Receives ₹262 Crore After Tragic US Incident

Seattle: The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million (about Rs 262 crore) to the family of a 23-year-old Indian graduate student who was hit by a speeding police officer while she was crossing the street in 2023.

Officer Kevin Dave hit Jaahnavi Kandula while driving as fast as 74 mph (119 kph) in a 25-mph (40-kph) zone on his way to a drug overdose call. He had his emergency lights on and was using his siren at stop signs.

"Jaahnavi Kandula's death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family," City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement on Wednesday. "Jaahnavi Kandula's life was important. It was important to her family, friends, and the community.

At the Seattle campus of Northeastern University, Kandula was working toward a master's degree in information systems.

Kandula's family's lawyers did not answer emails or phone calls right away when asked for comment. Last Friday, the parties filed a notice of settlement in King County Superior Court. PubliCola, a local news site, was the first to write about the deal.

Kandula's death caused anger and protests, especially after a recording from another officer's body camera came out in which the officer laughed and said Kandula's life had "limited value" and the city should "just write a check."

Indian diplomats asked for an investigation. The city's civilian watchdog said that Officer Daniel Auderer's comments hurt the department's reputation and made people less likely to trust it. Auderer was a union leader. Later, Auderer was fired and is now suing the city for firing him without cause. He said that what he said was meant to criticize how lawyers would probably react to the death.

The police department also fired the officer who was driving and gave him a $5,000 fine for careless driving. King County prosecutors decided not to charge him with a felony because they couldn't prove that he hit Kandula on purpose while ignoring safety.

The city's insurance should cover about $20 million of the settlement.