Ed Friedrich

ed.friedrich@kitsapsun.com

TACOMA — Kitsap County has agreed to pay $5 million to a young woman who was struck by a truck while walking in a Central Valley Road crosswalk.

On Dec. 12, 2012, 17-year-old Regina Monzon and younger brother James were bound for Olympic High School. She was hit by a 1993 Toyota pickup shortly after 7 a.m. while in a crosswalk at Central Valley Road and Conifer Drive. The driver of the truck, which had just pulled out of Fairview Junior High School, didn't see her.

Monzon was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and the loss of most of her scalp. Her attorneys, from the Bremerton firm Friedman and Rubin Trial Lawyers, claimed the county was responsible because the area wasn't adequately lit. After five weeks of arguments in Pierce County Superior Court, the parties reached a settlement.

"We believe it's the best way to go for the security of our taxpayers to have a known figure" versus gambling with a jury decision, said Ione George, chief general counsel for the county. "The person who hit her declared bankruptcy, so the county was left holding the bag."

James Monzon will receive $500,000 from the county. In addition to the $5 million from the county, the driver's insurance company must pay Regina Monzon $100,000. The only other condition is that the county install another streetlamp at the crosswalk.

"We're still very confident in our public works crews and the safety of our roads," George said. "We wish the best to Ms. Monzon and her brother. She certainly is not deserving of what happened to her. It's unfortunate that the driver was not paying attention to the roadway."

Other accidents occurred at the crosswalk in 2005 and 2009. Like Monzon's, they involved southbound drivers before sunrise, said attorney Ken Friedman, who was satisfied with the settlement.

"She has suffered life-altering injuries, but that was a fair amount to compensate her," he said.

The money won't erase the memories, Monzon said.

"We suffered so much," she said. "I don't think anything can pay for what we had to go through, but it helps a little bit. There's not a day that goes by that I don't remember it. It's hard, but I try to get through it."

More than four years after the accident, Monzon appears recovered from her injuries, though her head is covered with scars instead of hair.

"For the most part, I'm OK," she said. "A lot of days it's still hard to process and cope. Physically, I have a lot of aches and pains still."

Monzon, now 21, is looking for a job and hoping to go back to school.

"I'm just very grateful this is over and we get to move on and just live our lives," she said.