I was reading a story about a woman who worked as an operator for a drawbridge who made the bridge raise without first checking to make sure there was no one on the bridge, accidentally causing the death of another woman. The woman who was killed was a grandma, 79 years old, and a retired newspaper editor. The victim was riding her bicycle, and when the bridge went up, it caused her to plunge 50 feet landing on a concrete slab. But here is the part I want to focus on. The private contractor company that operates the government-owned span, paid the family of the woman who died eight million dollars to settle a lawsuit. How much is a life worth? Consider that the average lifespan for a white female in the U.S. is 81 years. How much longer was this woman really going to live? It wasn't like she was rich either, or had a high-paying job providing for a family. The private company did not even own the bridge. It was owned by the city government. The drawbridge operator was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 200 hours of community service and 8 years of probation, avoiding prison time. Why should the company be financially liable for the death, just because they employed the person who accidentally caused the death? Is it because it's a big company and has deep pockets? This is just another example of grossly excessive amounts of money being paid out in a lawsuit. The average lifetime earnings of a news reporter is about $1.5 million, over the span of their entire life and career. How much exactly is an individual life really worth, if we're trying to put a dollar equivalent on it? And furthermore, beyond all that, we can also ask whether the family really should get any money (other than perhaps for burial expenses). The family members were not the ones who suffered physical harm. The only woman who was killed is now dead and can't receive any money. It happened on February 6, 2022 in Palm Beach, a wealthy part of southern Florida. The bridge operator was a black woman, Artissua Lafay Paulk, age 43, and the victim's name was Carol Wright. Florida drawbridge operator, 43, won't be jailed despite being convicted of manslaughter
Some might not care or see this an issue because it looks like a private company voluntarily paid out the money. But it is very likely the company only paid the money because they were afraid that they might be forced pay even more money than that, if they did not choose to settle. (For a very similar sort of reason why many criminal defendants choose to plead guilty even if they are not guilty) Maybe companies would be paying out these humongous amounts of money in settlements if it were not for the often crazy decisions of courts ordering ridiculously gigantic payouts in lawsuits. It's also very likely the ones running the company who made the decision were not actually the owners of the company who have to pay the money. Once again, CEOs (and a board of directors) choosing to hand out money that is not their own. I know most of the Left doesn't seem to care, just another excuse to make a "big evil corporation" pay out money to some of the little people who get lucky, almost like some sort of wealth redistribution scheme, even if it is practically in the form of a lottery payout. The mentality of "Life shouldn't be unfair" (well never mind the person or company who has to pay the money). The world is a crazy and illogical place.
About these ridiculous lawsuits, some will say, "Why should I care? It's not my money. I won't be paying for it." But you will be paying for it, in the form of higher prices and higher taxes. Don't you think that these contractor companies will have to charge higher rates to local government if they have to pay out gigantic awards in lawsuits and are paying out (or even just run the risk of paying out) a huge over-the-top settlements? The taxpayers and local residents will end up paying for that, one way or another. Do you really want to be funding a lottery prize system for those who are "lucky" enough to have family member die? There is no "free" money. Money from one place comes from somewhere else.
Here's an idea: lives have worth beyond actual damages. The woman had worth beyond her earnings. Beyond that, the bridge operator was clearly acting as an agent of her employer and was clearly negligent. Part of what punitive damages are for is to ensure ordinary care. I think you're being somewhat disingenuous here. For instance, would you let someone kill you for $8M?
Why do you think the employer should be responsible for that? I think those punitive damages should be limited to maybe around $12,000 to $20,000. That is still plenty enough incentive to make sure someone tries to be attentive so they do not accidentally cause the death of another person. This case did not even involve dangerous reckless behavior, it was just an accident in the course of this woman doing her normal job. And maybe the money should be paid to the government, not the family. (Although I'm okay with part of the money going to pay for burial expenses) Are you claiming that the corporation did something wrong that is responsible for the death?
