Our attorneys David Beninger and Patricia Anderson earned an $7 million settlement on April 24, 2019 for a plaintiff who was severely injured in the 2015 Ride the Ducks crash on the Aurora Avenue bridge in Seattle.
Our client, 20-year-old Carolin Scholz, finished working as an au pair and was about to return to college in Germany when she and friend took the Ride the Ducks tour in Seattle. She was sitting near the front of the vehicle when the front wheel came off causing it to careen out of control and into a charter bus going the opposite direction. Carolin was thrown forward and into the unprotected metal dashboard, fracturing her face.
Because of her injuries, Carolin has had to persevere through several reconstructive surgeries and will need more in the future. This settlement will help ease the burden of her ongoing medical expenses, but as David Beninger told the jury it only offers partial closure. “…it’s easier to fix broken bones than it is a broken spirit and that’s what she’s trying to work on right now.”
The settlement came shortly after Mr. Beninger’s opening statements to the jury laying out Carolin’s case. The defendants also agreed in open court to drop their appeal on the group verdict previously awarded to 38 other plaintiffs.
Learn more about the crash and settlement in these articles from KIRO 7 News, The Seattle Times, Court TV (CVN.Com) and Law360 (paywall).
Image Credit: KIRO 7 News.
