Jury Awards $10.3 Million in Child’s Death
The first-grader child was struck by an out-of-control van in a school’s parking lot. Jurors ruled the district had been told of hazards in the lot
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has awarded $10.3 million to the family of a first-grader who was struck by a van and killed in the parking lot at an Elementary School in Encino in 2005.
The jury found the Los Angeles Unified School District at fault because the parking lot, where 6-year-old Jordan Sandels was killed, was not designed according to state-approved blueprints. The jury also found that the district had been notified of possibly dangerous conditions in the parking lot before the accident.
Michael Sandels, Jordan’s father, called the verdict in the wrongful-death lawsuit an "incredible victory" and said he intended to use the money to open a foundation to address safety issues at schools nationwide.
