The family of a little girl in Louisiana who was hit and killed by a car near her school has been awarded $129 million in damages.
In 2022, Emma Savoie, 6, was hit and killed by a car while she was participating in a running group at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
Emma and her brother, Beau, 9, were both part of their school's run club. The group met after school and the running path the group followed crossed two lanes of traffic. On the day of the incident, Emma has been trying to catch up with her brother when she crossed the lanes and was struck by the car, Frank Swarr, the attorney representing the family, said.
The St Tammany County jury made their decision Friday evening after a five-day trial. Emma was posthumously awarded $29 million for the pain she suffered after she was hit by the car, and her brother, Beau, was awarded $50 million in damages. Her parents, Amy and Brent Savoie, were both awarded $25 million as well.
"It felt like validation," Amy told NOLA.com. "It tells me that a six-year-old is not responsible for her own death."
Swarr said the $129 million award is "far and away" a record for the country for a general damages payout.
The family sued Our Lady of Lourdes and its insurance company in February 2022 in the 19th Judicial District in Baton Rouge. The case was later moved to the 22nd Judicial District in Covington.
The jury found that the school did not have proper traffic safety practices in place, and that the lack of safety controls led not just to Emma's death, but also to "debilitating" mental anguish and distress felt by her brother.
Swarr said he expects the school and the its insurance company to appeal the ruling.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans — which was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but has parochial authority over Our Lady of Lourdes — issued a statement following the ruling.
"We know that no words or actions can heal the Savoie family after such a tragic loss," the statement says. "The community at Our Lady of Lourdes and throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans continue to remember Emma with love and to pray for the entire Savoie family. The Our Lady of Lourdes community stands ready to offer any and all pastoral support available to assist in the family’s healing.”
Amy Savoie told NOLA.com that she hopes to use the money in part to continue her advocacy for school traffic safety in both broader Louisiana and around the US.
Emma's family formed the Emma Bell Foundation shortly after her death. The organization lobbied for state regulation addressing traffic safety at Louisiana schools.
"The money has never been a factor for me. It’s always been about accountability and responsibility," Amy said.
