SEATTLE — A King County jury awarded more than $1.4 million Thursday to four University of Washington band members involved in a bus crash on the way to the 2018 Apple Cup.
The bus, which was charted through MTR Western, crashed near George, Wash. on Nov. 22, 2018 after the driver lost control in icy conditions and struck a ditch. The driver was later cited for driving too fast for the conditions.
Forty-five people were injured in the crash, according to Herrmann Law Group, which represented the band members.
“These four students survived an astounding tragedy,” attorney Anthony Marsh said in a statement. “We hope anyone on the bus still fighting for justice will keep fighting until they get what is fair.”
The jury awarded $1,482,200 after a virtual trial.
Of the four students, Alexia Brown received the largest award – $569,000, according to the law group. Brown was a freshman at the time of the crash and woke up entangled in barbed wire after being tossed from the bus during the crash. Another student used a pocket knife to cut her free, and lawyers say Brown had multiple fractures in her spine.
Edith Myers-Power needed surgery for an AC joint separation in her shoulder, Monica Mursch broke her clavicle and Jacob Koreen had bruises and lacerations.
All four students suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the law group.
Just Mursch and Koreen have returned to marching. Myers-Power graduated a few months after the crash, and Brown didn’t resume playing in the band.
