A crosswalk button in Washington should have prevented a child’s death, but failed to do so. And now, the price of that failure has made history with a $30 million settlement, thus the largest the state is believed to have ever paid in a wrongful death case involving a minor. The payout is a result of the 2022 death of 13-year-old middle schooler Michael Weilert, whose bike ride across Highway 7 turned deadly after a malfunctioning pedestrian signal that state transportation officials allegedly knew was broken!
The tragedy took place in July in Parkland, Seattle, Washington. Michael was with a friend and did precisely what any careful kid would do. He hit the button that causes the flashing light to turn on, warning other drivers to stop. And yes, one lane stopped, and the other should have as well, but it didn’t. A second signal light didn’t activate either, and an oncoming Jeep ploughed through the crosswalk. And that’s how Michael was killed in an instant.
The driver was not criminally charged but became a defendant in the civil suit and will contribute $50,000 through her insurance policy to this Washington nightmare.
The state looks like it has admitted to its failure. The family’s lawsuit alleged that the Washington State Department of Transportation had known the beacon was broken for weeks, as maintenance reports from May-June 2022 showed missing parts and nonfunctioning lights, yet the intersection remained as-is. Plus, as it turns out, this wasn’t a one-off oversight either. Five of the 11 Highway 7 crosswalks reportedly had malfunctioning signals at the time. Can you imagine?
NEW: Family wins $30 million after 13-year-old boy was struck and k*lled by Jeep while using faulty crosswalk
Washington state settled the lawsuit after Michael Weilert was k*lled crossing Highway 7 in 2022
Michael had pressed the crosswalk button to stop traffic in one lane,… pic.twitter.com/HKfAoTcxyy
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) December 1, 2025
For the Weilert family (which includes parents, four siblings, and the aunt who joined in the lawsuit), the settlement amount is substantial, but ultimately meaningless to the family. Their attorney (Evan Bariault) told reporters that the case was “never really about money,” and anyone who has watched the family have Michael’s portrait on their porch in Parkland agrees.
Still, a court-appointed representative has informed us that the payout may be the largest ever entered into by WSDOT (aka the Washington Department of Transportation). “One tragic incident like this is one too many,” spokespersons told People, as they reiterated that WSDOT pursue the state’s Target Zero initiative to end roadway deaths and serious injuries by 2030. This is where we have to remember that while roadway fatalities in Washington dipped around 9.6% in 2024, pedestrian deaths are still high.
For residents of Parkland or the Pierce County area, Michael’s death was the a breaking point after dangerous intersections and rising fatality rates. Local advocates have pointed to the case as Exhibit A in a long-ignored pattern. For the Weilerts, the battle is now over, but as Bariault told the Seattle Times: “No settlement (…) can ever fill the space left by Michael’s absence.”
