RICHMOND, Va. – Families of those killed in the Virginia Tech massacre would receive $100,000 each under a settlement the state is proposing to prevent lawsuits, according to a victim’s relative who received a copy of the proposal. Medical and counseling expenses would be provided to the families of the 32 killed and dozens of surviving victims, said the person, who asked Monday to remain anonymous because those involved were told not to discuss the settlement. Families were asked to say by March 31 whether they were comfortable with the proposal. If they agree, they cannot sue the state government, including Virginia Tech.
In October, the families and surviving victims received payments ranging from $11,500 to $208,000 from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up in the days after the April 16 shootings to handle donations that poured into the Blacksburg school.
How do you put a dollar amount on one of your children and how did they arrive at this figure? I don’t believe the state of Virginia owes the family money over some lunatic’s actions. Maybe a refund of tuition would be in order, but I think this sets a bad precedent.
Me love USA justice loooong time!
Take the money and sue anyway!
Most people die for free. During 9/11 aftermath, I wondered what kind of precedent this would set.
The Minnesota bridge is slightly different. There negligence can be laid at the feet of government and the bridge repair contractors.
All hail gun free zones! I’ll take my chances here:
In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire predictions of “Wild West” showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender.
The crime rate initially plummeted for several years after the passage of the ordinance, with the 2005 per capita crime rate actually significantly lower than it was in 1981, the year before passage of the law.