New Jersey Settles with Mother over Deadly Trooper Crash

New Jersey has paid $2 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a Cape May County woman whose daughters died in a car crash with a state trooper.

Maria Caiafa’s lawyer says the state made no admission of culpability.

Lewis April says the settlement was signed in May, but the family didn’t announce it because publicity over the case makes it hard for them to manage their daily lives.

Nineteen-year-old Christina Becker and her 17-year-old sister, Jacqueline, were returning home after picking up milk when authorities say trooper Robert Higbee ran a stop sign and hit their minivan.

The 36-year-old told investigators he was chasing a speeder. But a witness said the road was deserted.

The trooper is awaiting trial in April on vehicular homicide charges.
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Information from: The Press of Atlantic City