Court records show the Lewiston Tribune’s publishing company recently reached a $2.4 million settlement with the family of a Pullman man who was killed when a newspaper distribution worker crashed into his car last year.
The settlement, approved by a judge on April 8, outlines payments to four children of Timothy Calene. A fifth child reportedly reached a separate settlement after turning 18 during the legal process. About $610,000 would go toward paying legal fees.
Pullman Police reports state a Lewiston Tribune employee crashed into Calene’s vehicle shortly before 7 a.m. on April 13, 2020 at the intersection of Terre View Drive and the Pullman-Moscow highway (State Route 270). Calene later died at the hospital. He was 45 years old.
The Tribune employee, David McDermott, had reportedly been working since about 1 a.m., distributing papers to boxes and collecting money. Investigators reported he failed to stop at a red light, but found no evidence of reckless or impaired driving.
Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy later declined to pursue criminal charges against McDermott, describing the crash as a “tragic accident” in his decision letter.
“[McDermott] did not notice that his light had changed, but he was not distracted by something else,” Tracy wrote. “That action may well be negligent, but it is not driving with a disregard for the safety of others under Washington law.”
Tracy noted flashing yellow lights have since been installed near the intersection to give additional warning before the light turns red.
The recent $2.4 million settlement was made public in Whitman County Superior Court records after a guardian ad litem was assigned to serve as an independent representative of the minor Calene children.
“Each of the children had a very close relationship with their father,” the guardian ad litem wrote in a recent report.
The payment agreement provides a schedule for payments to each of the children once they become adults with additional money set aside for short-term expenses.
The Tribune Publishing Company’s insurance providers will make the payments outlined in the agreement. The settlement executed a full release of the children’s claims against TPC Holdings, which does business as the Tribune Publishing Company, as well as all claims against McDermott and their insurance companies.
The Tribune Publishing Company, owns and operates the Lewiston Tribune newspaper as well as the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Nathan Alford, editor and publisher of the Lewiston Tribune, did not respond to an email sent early last week seeking comment for this story.
Karma is real. The county prosecuting attorney will someday realize what he has put other people through.