Iowa state officials agreed Tuesday to pay $3.5 million in a settlement agreement with the family of an Iowa State University student who drowned when the school’s crew club boat capsized in cold, rough waters.
A state appeals board has approved the terms of an agreement between Iowa State University and the parents of 20-year-old college sophomore Jacob Ben David, more than three years after his death.
The family of the second student who drowned, 19-year-old freshman Derek Nanni, agreed to a $2 million settlement in August 2021, according to Iowa Department of Administration records.
19 Connecticut boat club accident leads to jump into frigid Long Island Sound
The rowers set out on Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County, Iowa, about 15 miles north of the Ames campus, on March 28, 2021. It was Ben-David and Nanni’s first practice on the water after training on land, according to court documents.
The state of Iowa reached a $3.5 million settlement with Jacob Ben David’s family.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Ben David’s parents alleges that Iowa State University was negligent in its chartered student organization, the Crew Club. The parents, backed by an independent investigation, allege that the paddlers launched their boats in unsafe conditions, were inadequately dressed and had inadequate training, safety standards and supervision that led them to attempt to swim to shore after their boat capsized.
According to the sheriff, at the time of the accident, wind speeds were about 20 to 25 miles per hour, the air temperature was about 37 degrees Fahrenheit and the water was cold enough to cause hypothermia within minutes.
The other three crew members were rescued and survived.
According to court documents, the terms of the settlement state that the Ben Davids acknowledge that the payment is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing, and that the state and the university “expressly disclaim any such liability or wrongdoing.”
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The Ben Davids have agreed not to file any new lawsuits related to the accident.
