Lawsuit settled in death of child

Kim Smith

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.

A 22-year-old Las Vegas woman whose infant son was killed when a Yellow Cab driver veered off the road and struck them three years ago has settled her lawsuit for $10.9 million.

Sarah Sanchez will receive monthly payments and lump sum checks every five years for the rest of her life, said attorney John P. Lukens, who represented Sanchez along with attorney Robert E. Marshall.

Sanchez was walking to the grocery store with her 3-month-old son Arthur Gold on Nov. 24, 1997, when cabbie Joseph Kelley ran off the road near Eastern Avenue and U.S. 95.

The cab struck the baby's stroller, knocked Sanchez backwards and underneath a parked van and knocked down two power poles.

The baby died of massive head injuries 12 days later, and Sanchez spent nearly three months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers recovering from a fractured pelvis, Marshall said.

Kelley, who eventually pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of failing to maintain a travel lane, said he couldn't remember anything about the accident or the three days following, Marshall said.

After rejecting a $400,000 settlement offer from Yellow Cab, Marshall said Sanchez and the baby's father, Eelan Gold, filed a wrongful death suit against Yellow Cab and Kelley.

The lawsuit was settled just prior to the trial, which was scheduled for May 1, and the first check was cut last week, Lukens said.

Sanchez was forced to undergo two years of physical therapy, but is unable to use her right leg, Marshall said. She is currently a community college student and is raising another child born since the accident.

Lukens said he is pleased to know Sanchez will be taken care of the rest of her life, but he remains saddened about the circumstances.

"Even though the amount of money seems large, you learn that injuries and losses like that can't be replaced with money," Lukens said. "Would I trade one of my children or my health for money like that? Not for one minute ... Money never makes up for tragedy."

Attorneys for Kelley and the Yellow Cab Company could not be reached for comment.