Hyderabad, 12 February. Indian student Jhanvi Kandula’s family has been compensated after her death in a road accident. According to the information received, the city of Seattle, Washington has made a settlement of $ 29 million (approximately ₹ 262 crore) with the family of 23-year-old Indian student Jhanvi. Jhanvi was killed by a speeding car of an American police officer while crossing the road in the year 2023.
“Jhanvi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking,” Seattle attorney Erica Evans said in a statement released Wednesday. The city hopes this financial settlement will provide some comfort to the Kandula family. He further said, ‘Jhanvi Kandula’s life mattered. “It meant so much to his family, his friends and our community.”
Jhanvi Kandula was from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and was pursuing her master’s degree at the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union. She went to the United States from Bengaluru in 2021 on a student exchange program and was expected to graduate this December.
He was hit by the car driven by Officer Kevin Dave, who was reportedly driving at a speed of 119 kmph (74 mph). In an area where the limit was 40 kmph (25-mph). He was responding to a drug overdose call at the time.
There was a lot of anger and protests in 2023 over Jhanvi’s death. The anger grew further when body camera footage of another officer surfaced, in which the officer laughingly said that Kandula’s life had “limited value” and that the city should “just write a check.”
Indian diplomats demanded an investigation into this incident. The city’s civilian oversight body later said that comments by Officer Daniel Orderer, who was also a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust.
The orderer was fired and later sued, claiming wrongful termination. He said his words were meant to criticize how lawyers would respond to the case. The police department also fired the officer who was driving the car. He was charged with careless driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
King County prosecutors decided not to file felony charges, saying they could not prove that he willfully disregarded safety when he hit Kandula. About $20 million of the settlement is expected to be paid by the city’s insurance.
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