Seattle officials have quietly settled this month with the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, the 23-year-old engineering student who was struck and killed by a speeding Seattle Police Department vehicle in a marked crosswalk on Jan. 23, 2023. The agreement caps a long, closely watched civil battle that followed months of public outrage, internal reviews, and legal maneuvering.
According to KING 5, the Kandula family will receive a financial settlement from the city. The outlet reported that officials confirmed the deal, although the city has not publicly disclosed the amount. KING 5 noted that the agreement resolves the family’s wrongful-death claim against the city over the deadly collision.
Independent local outlet PubliCola reported that the settlement totals at least $29 million, citing a source familiar with the negotiations. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” City Attorney Erika Evans told PubliCola.
How the Crash Unfolded
The collision happened where Dexter Avenue North meets Thomas Street in South Lake Union, a busy corridor just north of downtown. Investigators and local reporting indicate that Kandula was in the marked crosswalk when she was hit.
Records show the patrol car, driven by Officer Kevin Dave, reached roughly 74 mph in a 25 mph zone just seconds before impact while he was responding to a reported overdose. Dash-cam footage shows Kandula in the crosswalk immediately before the collision, according to KIRO 7.
Aftermath and Discipline
The case sparked widespread outrage after body-worn camera footage captured another officer, Daniel Auderer, making callous remarks about Kandula’s death. Auderer was later fired, and the episode intensified scrutiny of the department’s internal culture and accountability.
Local reporting on those personnel moves and the public backlash is detailed in a previous Hoodline piece on insensitive remarks after the crash.
Legal Fallout
Kandula’s parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in September 2024 seeking substantial damages. The newly announced settlement is what resolves that civil claim.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file felony charges in the case. The city later issued Officer Dave a negligent-driving citation that carried a $5,000 fine, according to KIRO 7.
What This Means for Seattle
The settlement comes on the heels of the Seattle Police Department’s revisions to its emergency-driving policy in late 2024. Critics say the sizable payout highlights long-standing worries about hiring, training and supervision inside the department, as previous reporting on policy changes and community pressure has underscored.
PubliCola notes that advocates are calling for concrete reforms tied to any monetary resolution, arguing that a check alone does not fix the systemic problems the case exposed.
The settlement closes the civil chapter of Kandula’s death but leaves lingering questions about accountability, union influence and how officers handle high-speed emergency responses in the future. City officials did not immediately release the full terms of the agreement, and both sides declined to provide more detail beyond what local outlets have already reported.
