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The family of a 2-year-old girl killed in a traffic accident has negotiated a six-figure settlement with West Jordan, Salt Lake County and South Jordan.
Mary Ethne Stone died after a cement truck hit a car driven by her mother, Melissa, on the intersection of U-111 and Old Bingham Highway on Feb. 6, 2012. Melissa was driving west and made a left turn onto U-111 headed south when the truck slammed into her and pushed her car into a field. Melissa and her 7-month-old son were taken to a hospital where they were treated.
West Jordan police Officer Ian Adams told KSL at the time, "It can be a dangerous intersection, obviously from what you have seen today."
In December 2013, the Stones filed a lawsuit against the county and West Jordan, South Jordan, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and Metro Ready Mix, the company that owns the cement mixer involved in the crash.
At the time, the intersection had stop signs rather than traffic lights. After the accident, the grandparents of the fatally injured child led a movement to fix conditions on the road.
Traffic signals were installed in May 2012. The county and the two cities joined together to fund the project.
Under the proposed settlement, West Jordan will pay $120,000 to the family and the county, $110,000. South Jordan will be on the hook for $90,000. Metro Ready Mix will pay $30,000 under the proposal. UDOT was dropped as a defendant in the Stones' wrongful death suit because the state had no ownership of the road. West Jordan city owns half of the intersection, while the other half is split between South Jordan and Salt Lake County.
The amounts need approval of the city and county councils before the settlement is finalized. West Jordan is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the settlement. The county and South Jordan did not provide information on the timing of their votes.
In the settlement, the cities and county make no admission of fault or liability in the accident.
Citing a nondisclosure agreement, attorney Paul Dodd, who represented West Jordan, declined to give details about the case.
"We feel the settlement is reasonable given the circumstances," Dodd said. Scott Evans, the lawyer for the Stones said the intersection had been a problem for years. He said the three entities responsible for the road had numerous studies including one dating back to 2005 that showed the intersection was dangerous.
"It was something that could be easily remedied." Evans said.