If Richland installed crosswalk lights sooner, 2 boys wouldn’t have been hurt, parents say

The parents of two boys filed a $5 million claim this week against the city of Richland after their children were seriously hurt in a crosswalk that they say officials knew was a problem.

Attorneys for the boys’ parents filed three claims with the city and plan to file another one associated with a November 2018 crash that sent a 9-year-old and a 13-year-old to the hospital.

The claims filed by Kennewick attorneys Jay Flynn and Kristi McKennon say the city’s insurance should cover the $270,000 in medical bills for the boys and $5 million in general damages — $2 million for each child and $1 million for their mother.

They plan to file an additional claim for the boys’ father.

The city received a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission in May 2018 to put in a pedestrian crossing light near Chief Joseph Middle School, the claims say.

The flashing yellow light would help people cross Jadwin Avenue to the nearby Columbia Park Apartments.

This left the city more than seven months to install the crosswalk lights, according to the attorneys.

In addition, a streetlight that was supposed to illuminate the crosswalk was not working despite calls to the city to fix it.

“The dangers of this particular school crosswalk of Jadwin Avenue was solvable,” McKennon said. “The 2018 accident had a devastating impact on the family of these two young boys.”

City officials at the time said they could not access the grant money until a month before the accident.

Two boys hurt

The sun had set 20 minutes before Alameer and Durgham Al Mohammedawi started home from Chief Joseph Middle School on Nov. 6, 2018.

The school’s basketball game had just wrapped up, and they lived in the Columbia Park Apartments east of the school.

They waited at a marked crosswalk on the side of the busy Richland street, and once three trucks stopped they began across the five-lane road thinking it was safe, according to a Richland police report.

A man driving a Mustang, headed south, did not notice the stopped trucks as he approached.

The boys stepped out from behind a truck at the same time that the Mustang reached the crosswalk. The driver slammed on his brakes but was unable to avoid hitting the boys.

They were rushed to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, and the 9-year-old Durgham was flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Alameer was left with broken bones in his leg and spine, and Durgham had a traumatic brain injury, a broken clavicle and a pelvic fracture. They were both left with post traumatic stress and depression.

“These two boys are resilient and, a full year later, continue to rehabilitate from their physical and psychological injuries,” McKennon said. “They are fortunate to have a strong family around them, but it has been very difficult for the family to care for two severely injured sons at the same time.”

Lighted crosswalks

At the time of the crash, traffic engineer John Deskins said the city and the school district were working on a $81,000 project to install flashing lights at the crosswalk the boys used. The system has since been installed and allows pedestrians to trigger the light with a button.

The intersection and a crosswalk on the north entrance of the middle school caught the city’s attention during a safety review.

At the time, he said the city had only received the money a month before the accident. While city officials wanted to get the lights installed as quickly as possible, Deskins said there is a long lead time to reserve equipment and find a contractor. The city also faced working around school schedules.

Jadwin Avenue averages about 10,000 vehicles a day, which is about a quarter of what the city sees at the south end of George Washington Way.

City officials didn’t have any comment about the current claim. It has been sent onto the city’s insurance carrier, the Washington Cities Insurance Authority.

The claim could turn into a lawsuit after 60 days if a settlement is not reached. McKennon is hoping the city’s insurance company will work with the attorneys on reaching a resolution.

“This case is about the safety of school kids crossing Richland streets in marked crosswalks,” she said. “We need to make sure they all get home safely every day.”