Family of UK teen who died in crash settles with American driver who claimed diplomatic immunity

The family of a teenager from the United Kingdom who died in a crash has reached a settlement with the American driver who claimed diplomatic immunity in the case.

The family of Harry Dunn reached a settlement in their civil case against Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat, who fatally hit Dunn after driving on the wrong side of the road in 2019, according to a court document filed Tuesday.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed in Tuesday’s filing.

Sacoolas has admitted in court documents to hitting Dunn, who was on his motorcycle at the time of the crash. After the crash, Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and returned to the United States.

The State Department decided not to grant the U.K. government’s request to extradite Sacoolas in January 2020. Dunn’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, brought the civil suit in a Virginia federal court several months later, seeking damages. 

Radd Seiger, a spokesperson for Dunn’s family, told The Hill in a statement that the family “continue to suffer unimaginable pain and miss him each and every day.” He said it is “considerable relief” for the family that a resolution has been reached.

“The family feel that they can now turn their attention to the criminal case and the long-awaited inquest into Harry’s death which will follow the criminal case,” Seiger said. “Harry’s family will never be able to move on from his loss, but they are more determined than ever to continue to move forward.”

Sacoolas faces criminal charges in Britain over the incident, and the U.K. has been trying to extradite her.

President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson both addressed the issue on Tuesday in remarks to reporters before their bilateral meeting.

Asked about why not extraditing Sacoolas would be justified, Biden said the incident was not an “intentional act.”

“Based on what I’ve been told, it was — it was not an intentional act,” Biden said. “It was someone who was new to ‘driving on the side of the road.’ ”

Johnson said the case was “very, very sad,” and expressed sympathies to Dunn’s family.

“I know that the president has been personally trying to move things along, and I’m grateful for that,” Johnson said.

Updated at 11:22 a.m.