The brother of a Special Olympian killed five years ago when the Lifestyles for the Disabled van in which he was riding collided with a Fire Department ladder truck in Dongan Hills has settled his wrongful death lawsuit for $950,000, court records show.
William Perry III, as administrator of Eric Perry's estate, had sued Lifestyles for the Disabled, the van driver and the city in state Supreme Court, St. George, in connection with the March 9, 2011, incident.
State Supreme Court Justice Thomas P. Aliotta has approved a settlement in which the insurer for Lifestyles for the Disabled and van driver Peter Roskowinski will pay $600,000 and the city will add $350,000.
In an affidavit, William Perry said the settlement was in the estate's best interests.
"I find the settlement offered excellent and more than acceptable," he said. "I believe it is prudent of me to accept the settlement and avoid the uncertainties of trial."
According to police, the crash occurred at about 12:10 p.m.
A fire truck from Ladder Co. 81 was rushing along Richmond Road toward the Staten Island Expressway, responding to a call of a vehicular fire. A witness told the Advance its lights were flashing and its siren was wailing.