In a significant development, the City of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million (approximately ₹262 crore) in compensation to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, the Telugu student who was fatally struck by a speeding police vehicle in 2023.
Seattle City Attorney, Erika Evans issued a statement on Wednesday expressing deep sorrow over Jaahnavi’s death. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s death is heartbreaking. We hope this financial settlement provides some measure of relief to her family,” she said. According to local media reports, both parties filed a joint motion in court last week to finalize the settlement agreement.
Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, and her sister Meghana are daughters of Srikanth (a head constable) and Vijayalakshmi from Adoni in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district. Jaahnavi moved to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus.
On the night of January 23, 2023, while crossing a street in South Lake Union, she was hit by a Seattle Police Department patrol vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave. The speed limit in the area was 25 mph (about 40 km/h), but investigations showed Dave was traveling at approximately 74 mph (119 km/h) while responding to a drug overdose call.
Jaahnavi suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. She was reportedly thrown about 100 feet by the impact.
The case drew widespread outrage after body-camera audio revealed another officer making callous remarks, mocking the incident and suggesting Jaahnavi’s life had “limited value,” with comments like “just write a check.” Officer Dave was fired amid heavy criticism in both the US and India.
Adding to the family’s grief, Jaahnavi’s father, Srikanth who had retired as a head constable in Guntakal, suffered a heart attack and passed away on February 10, 2026, reportedly due to prolonged emotional distress. His last rites were performed in Adoni on February 11. Family members declined to comment on the compensation and a close relative revealed that US officials had contacted them earlier, asking them to travel to Seattle in March, but the family learned about the $29 million figure primarily through social media.
The settlement, one of the largest in similar cases, resolves the family’s wrongful death lawsuit, which had initially sought over $110 million.
