The state of Washington has agreed to pay a $30 million settlement to the family of a 13-year-old killed at a faulty crosswalk in Parkland, Pierce County, in 2022, according to the family’s attorney.
Middle school student Michael Weilert was preparing to cross Highway 7 with a friend in July 2022 when he pressed the button on a rapid rectangular flashing beacon to warn oncoming traffic he’d be using the crosswalk, according to the lawsuit Weilert’s family filed against the state and the driver, who was not criminally charged.
The crossing signal for the first lane of traffic worked and a pickup stopped, at which point Weilert rode his bicycle onto the crosswalk and his friend followed. The crossing signal at the traffic median for the second lane of traffic was defective, however, and when it failed to go off an oncoming Jeep in the other lane fatally struck Weilert.
Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance reports from May and June of that year showed that the flashing lights at that intersection had missing parts and weren't working, but WSDOT failed to correct the issue, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also claimed that at the time of Weilert’s death, five out of the 11 crosswalks on Highway 7 had missing or broken crossing lights.
The lawsuit was dismissed last month following the settlement.
“The family is grateful that the legal process has come to a close, but no settlement — no matter how significant — can ever fill the space left by Michael’s absence,” the Weilerts’ attorney, Evan Bariault, said in an emailed statement to The Seattle Times. “His life was precious, and the impact of losing him is something the Weilerts continue to carry every day.”
Bariault added that the family hopes the settlement “serves as a step toward accountability and meaningful change so no other family must endure what the Weilerts endured.”
A guardian ad litem, or court-appointed representative, acting for two of Weilert’s siblings wrote in a report filed in the lawsuit docket that the settlement may be the largest ever by WSDOT, though The Seattle Times could not independently confirm this fact.
“While the state has reached a settlement with the family, we recognize that the loss of Michael Weilert was devastating for the family, friends and the community,” WSDOT spokesperson Kris Abrudan said in an emailed statement. “WSDOT continues to work with communities and partners toward our state’s Target Zero goals. One tragic incident like this is one too many.”
The state’s “Target Zero” campaign aims to eliminate all deaths and severe injuries on Washington roads by 2030. While data shows that Washington decreased its road deaths by 9.6% in 2024, the number of traffic crash deaths per year has still been higher in the 2020s than in the previous decade. Pedestrian fatalities only dropped from 160 in 2023 to 155 in 2024.
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