The family of Ethan Couch will pay $2 million to one of the surviving victims from his June 2013 drunk driving incident; according to a recent report from Fox News DFW. Couch became the source of massive media controversy after a Texas judge punished him with 10 years of probation and rehab for killing four people and injuring 12 while driving drunk.
The insurance company of Couch’s parents will pay the victim a $1 million lump sum and the rest in annuities to Sergio Molina, who was permanently paralyzed after the accident.
The controversy surrounding Couch’s case stems from the defense his attorney used, arguing that Couch was a wealthy child disconnected from society and his parents, which has caused him to suffer from “affluenza.”
Molina was a passenger in the truck that Couch was driving when he crashed into a car parked on the side of the road. The impact caused the parked car to launch into oncoming traffic and hit another car traveling in the opposite lane. Couch swerved off the road and hit a tree. Molina was ejected from the vehicle and landed on his head.
Thanks to Molina’s paralysis, he can only smile and blink. Before the accident he was highly involved in school athletics and had plans to play soccer in Barcelona, Spain after his graduation.
Members of Molina’s family say they are disappointed with the settlement awarded by the judge. They are also upset that the focus of the case up until this point has primarily been on Couch’s rehab and not on Molina’s recovery from paralysis.
Ken Webster Jr. is the executive producer of Walton & Johnson and a contributing producer to The Michael Berry Show. Follow him on Twitter @ProducerKen