'Affluenza' teen's family (insurer) to pay victim $2M [View all]

[herding cats]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The family of a Texas teenager who killed four people in a drunken-driving wreck has agreed to pay more than $2 million to the family of a boy left paralyzed by the accident.

Tarrant County court documents show that the liability insurer of Ethan Couch's parents agreed to pay more than $1 million in cash and the rest in two annuities to a trust established for Sergio Molina.

Molina was among 12 people injured. His parents say he can only smile and blink.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Affluenza-teen-s-family-to-pay-victim-2M-5457067.php

It appears this is being paid for via the Couch's insurance.

Sergio Molina was riding in the bed of Couch’s pickup the night of June 15, 2013, when the pickup swerved in the 1500 block of Burleson-Retta Road in southern Tarrant County, hitting a stranded motorist and three people who had stopped to help her. The pickup also plowed into a parked car, sending it into a Volkswagen Beetle driving in the opposite direction. Couch’s pickup flipped and smashed into a tree.

Sergio Molina flew out and landed on his head.

In the settlement reached Friday in 96th state District Court, Fred and Tonya Couch’s liability insurer agreed to pay $1.638 million cash to the Sergio E. Molina Special Needs Trust. The Couches’ insurer also agreed to purchase two sets of annuities to provide payments to the trust, beginning in July, of $1,515 monthly and of $1,837 monthly, both for life and guaranteed for 25 years.

The settlement also provides for attorneys’ fees. The attorneys representing Lemus and Molina, and Fred and Tonya Couch could not be reached to comment on Monday.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/05/05/5794503/first-liability-settlement-approved.html#storylink=cpy

From what I recall of the case, the cost for this one boys care was over $600K at the time, and was estimated to be as high as $10 million over the course of his lifetime.