TERRYTOWN, La., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Parties in a lawsuit resulting from a car crashing into a Louisiana school reached a settlement just prior to the start of the trial, lawyers said.
The lawsuit stems from a Dec. 8, 2010, crash in which Eslam Hamed, 34, of Harvey, La., drove her loaner 2011 Infinity M37 over a parking barrier and through a wall at a Terrytown, La., elementary school, injuring six children.
Parents of one of two seriously injured children sued Hamed, the car dealership that loaned her the vehicle and their insurance companies. The lawsuit initially named the Jefferson Parish school district, but a judge dismissed the district as plaintiffs, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.
The amount the parties settled for was not disclosed.
Hamed said in documents filed with the 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna, La., the reason for the crash was improperly installed floor mats. She said the mats in the car she was given while her own was being serviced became bunched up behind the gas and brake pedals, preventing her from stopping.
Hamed pleaded not guilty to a criminal charge of negligent injury, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail, the newspaper reported. A second civil lawsuit is still pending in Louisiana state court.
