Settlement Reached in Wrongful Death Suit Involving Kendall Riggins

Lawyers representing the family of a Bentonville teenager who died two years ago in an automobile accident announced Friday they have reached a settlement.

A press release issued on behalf of Rogers attorney Sean Keith said the family of Sara Symons has reached an agreement with the defendants, including prominent Fayetteville real estate executive Kendall Riggins

Also named in the lawsuit were Chrysler, the manufacturer of Symons’ 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Key Safety Systems, the maker of the seat belt.

A jury trial in the wrongful death lawsuit was scheduled to begin Monday morning in Bentonville.

When reached by telephone, Fayetteville attorney Barrett Deacon, Riggins’ attorney, said terms of the agreement are confidential.

“We are glad to have it done,” he said.

Symons, 17, died Sept. 1, 2011, as the result of an automobile accident on Interstate 540 just south of Bentonville. Symons was a senior at Bentonville High School.

In May 2012, Symons’ parents filed their lawsuit, alleging that Riggins had collided with Symons’ vehicle, and that the seatbelt failed, causing her to be ejected, which led to her death.

According to a police report, Riggins, a senior vice president and executive broker at Fayetteville real estate firm Lindsey & Associates, was cited for careless and prohibited driving.

“When we began this process, it was critical to my clients that any misconceptions about that day regarding Sara were cleared and that the truth came out,” Keith said in the news release. “Through discovery of phone records and expert investigation, it was shown that Sara did nothing wrong which led to her death. That included wearing her seatbelt and neither texting or talking on the phone.”