In cycling accident news, a federal judge in South Carolina approved a cycling wrongful death settlement yesterday in the amount of $4,999,900 to the family of Thomas Hoskins, 49, who died in October 2007 when he was hit by a Chrysler Pacifica driven by Sharon King. At the time of the collision, King was allegedly talking on a cell phone, while driving a company car.
Lawyers for the estate of Thomas Hoskins and Lee Anne Barry, another cyclist who was killed in the same accident, used cell phone records and a statement from the woman the driver had been talking to stating that she heard the crash through the phone. One of Hoskins' lawyers told The State(South Carolina News) that the cell phone was believed to be a major cause of the crash.
According to The State, defense attorneys would have argued that, despite King being distracted, she had put the phone down and was about to operate the vehicle's radio when the collision occurred. Last month, King herself pleaded guilty to reckless driving in the deaths of Hoskins and Barry. A separate settlement was reached in the death of Lee Anne Barry in December.
Sources: The State
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