Stewart, family settle wrongful-death suit
UTICA, N.Y. — Tony Stewart and the parents of Kevin Ward Jr. agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family against the former NASCAR champion for his role in the death of their son on a dirt track in New York more than three years ago.
Minor stipulations remain to be settled, and details of the agreement were not divulged at Thursday’s hearing in federal court before Judge David N. Hurd. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages, and a jury trial had been set to begin May 7, but Hurd said the case would be dismissed once procedures regarding Ward’s estate were finalized.
Pamela Ward, Ward’s mother, made it clear she was not satisfied.
“I wanted to have a trial so he (Stewart) could be held accountable,” Pamela Ward said, adding that the cost of a trial would have been beyond the family’s means. “That was my goal.”
Ward, 20, was killed Aug. 9, 2014, during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in western New York. Ward spun and crashed after contact with Stewart’s car. He climbed out of the open-wheel car while the race was under caution and began walking down the dimly lit track in an apparent attempt to confront Stewart. One car appeared to swerve to avoid Ward, but he was struck by the back right tire of Stewart’s car and died of blunt-force trauma.
A grand jury heard testimony from more than two dozen witnessess and looked at photographs and video of the race. Two videos were viewed and enhanced, frames were isolated and viewed at different speeds and finally overlaid with grids and data, and showed Stewart had done nothing wrong.
The panel decided against bringing criminal charges against Stewart, 46.