I had blogged about this terrible accident in San Diego, California back in December of 2008, when an U.S. Marine F/A-18D Hornet crashed into a home and killed Korean immigrant Young Mi Yoon, her two daughters, and her mother; Young Mi Yoon’s husband, Dong Yoon, was at work when the crash occurred.
Three years to the month, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller, awarded the following damages:
“Don Yoon, whose wife, Youngmi; daughters, Rachel and Grace; and mother-in-law, Seokim Lee, perished in the crash, should receive $9.6 million in compensation. Miller ruled Sanhyum Lee, Seokim’s husband, should receive $3.7 million. Youngmi’s three siblings received $1.5 million each for the loss of their mother and sister.”
Before the trial, the U.S. government conceded it was at fault for the crash and the trial was a 2.5 day non-jury trial. The family had originally sued for $56 million in damages, but the government pushed back. To be honest, I wouldn’t even know how one can put a price on such a loss. And I can’t even imagine how one would emotionally recover from such a loss. Amazingly, Yoon reiterated what he said three years ago – “I still harbor no ill will against the U.S. Marine Corps pilot involved in this crash, who did everything he could to prevent this tragedy.”
