EVERETT – The sole survivor of a fatal car crash that killed three teenagers will receive a $500,000 settlement from Snohomish County.
A lawsuit filed in July 2020 in King County Superior Court alleged that the actions of six trucking companies led to the fatal crash on Alderwood Mall Parkway. It also listed the county as a defendant for failing to ensure the safety of drivers on that road.
As part of the settlement, completed in February, Snohomish County did not admit any liability related to the crash.
In July 2017, 16-year-old Landon Staley drove a Kia Sorento at an estimated speed of 56 mph in the 16900 block of Alderwood Mall Parkway and crashed into a trailer that was illegally parked on the side of the road , according to the police report. The posted speed limit in this area is 40 mph. The car went under the trailer, killing Staley and two other passengers: Mikayla Sorenson, 15, of Bothell, and Travin Nelson-Phongphiou, 16, of Everett.
The force of the impact tore off the top of the Kia, according to court documents. Kiley O’Laughlin, then 15, was the sole survivor. She was in the back seat of the car and witnessed her friends suffer “graphic” injuries before they died, according to the complaint.
She was immediately transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries to her head, face and torso.
His physical recovery involved more than a year of treatment and $100,000 in medical debt, according to the suit.
The defendants in the suit were Wabash National Corp., the manufacturer of the trailer; Trillium Management Inc. and its subsidiary McKinney Vehicle Services Inc., owners of the trailer; Key Trucking Inc., which hired the driver who parked the trailer; SP Trucking, driver’s personal business; and Spirit Transport Systems Inc., which owned an unrelated truck parked nearby that contributed to the force of the impact, according to the complaint.
The complaint filed by O’Laughlin’s attorneys suggested the defendants “should have known” parking a trailer on the side of a road, pointed toward oncoming traffic and without reflective tape was dangerous to drivers, the demand
The driver of the semi placed visibility tape on the rear of the vehicle, but not on the front, the side facing oncoming cars, according to the complaint.
The driver, Staley’s estate and Snohomish County were also named as defendants.
O’Laughlin settled privately with all other parties, said his attorney, Chris Davis of the Davis Law Group in Seattle.
Before the crash, county employees received complaints and emails from citizens about trailers parked illegally in the area, according to court documents. The complaint also claimed county employees repeatedly drove past the semi before the crash and did nothing to remove it.
Davis said his client is “very happy” that the case is finally being resolved, Davis said.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall
