In February 2026, the City of Seattle reached a $29 million settlement with the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian graduate student who was tragically struck and killed by a Seattle police vehicle in 2023. The agreement resolves a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by her family and is one of the largest of its kind involving a U.S. police department.
What Happened
On January 23, 2023, Kandula — who was pursuing a master’s degree in Information Systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus — was crossing a street in a marked crosswalk in the South Lake Union neighborhood when a Seattle Police Department SUV struck her. The officer driving the vehicle, Kevin Dave, was responding to a call and was reported to be traveling at a significantly high speed at the time of impact.
Kandula was 23 years old when she died, and her death profoundly affected her family, friends, and members of the Indian and Seattle communities.
Settlement Details
In early February 2026, officials announced that the city had agreed to pay $29 million to Kandula’s family to settle their civil lawsuit. This amount — roughly ₹260 crore when converted — reflects the city’s effort to resolve the legal claims without further litigation.
City representatives said the settlement was intended to offer some measure of closure to the family while acknowledging how devastating the loss has been.
Legal and Community Context
The settlement comes nearly three years after the fatal collision. In the months following Kandula’s death, bodycam footage from a separate Seattle officer drew widespread criticism and public outcry. In that recording, a colleague of the officer involved in the crash was heard making insensitive remarks about Kandula’s death, which intensified calls for accountability and reform.
Following public pressure, that officer was later dismissed from the department, and the incident prompted ongoing discussions about emergency response driving policies and police accountability in Seattle.
Ongoing Matters and Reflections
While the settlement brings a significant legal resolution, advocates and community members continue to call for broader changes in policing practices and transparency. The settlement itself does not change the underlying policies that governed the officers’ actions at the time of the incident, and debates over accountability and systemic reforms remain active.
For Kandula’s family, the pain of loss persists, and public discussion about how to prevent similar tragedies continues on both sides of the Pacific.
