Families Of Men Killed In Parking Lot Crash Share $2.2 Million Settlement
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -The families of two men killed by a drunk driver in Fort Lauderdale will now share a $2.2 million dollar settlement, the Sun Sentinel reports.
Alyza Rachel Russell, 22, is accused of killing two homeless men in Fort Lauderdale when she hit them with her mother's Porsche on June 13.
Although the criminal case is still pending, the families of the victims decided to negotiate a settlement for their wrongful death claims instead of moving forward with a lawsuit, according to the Sun Sentinel.
How the settlement will be split up between the two families is confidential.
Rusell's mother, Charlotte Russell, is the owner of the Porsche involved in the accident. Lawyers told the Sun Sentinel, her insurance agreed to pay $2 million while the family agreed to pay the rest.
The father of one of the victims said money won't change things.
"I'm living my life the way I'm supposed to," Jean Jules, 48, told the Sun Sentinel. "Money is not what I'm working for," he said.
The toxicology report from the night of the accident found Russell's blood alcohol level to be 0.17, or more than two times the legal limit.
Ft. Lauderdale police said Russell was driving west on Broward Boulevard around 2 a.m. when she attempted to make a left turn onto SW 5th Avenue and head south. Russell couldn't finish the turn and drove her Porsche Panamera through the hedge of a parking lot.
Mackendy Jules, 30, and Samuel Artez Martindale, 35, were sitting with a third person in the parking lot when the Porsche crashed through the area. Both Jules and Martindale were hit, the third person managed to escape.
Neither Russell nor her two passengers were hurt during the crash.
Russell faces two charges of DUI manslaughter, two counts of unlawful blood alcohol level manslaughter, one count of DUI property damage, and one count of unlawful blood alcohol level property damage.
