Iowa Court of Appeals Denies Parents of Girl Killed New Trial

Christina Cole

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The parents of a Bondurant girl killed during a 2002 ski trip, that was supervised by Bondurant Mayor Marla McCoid, was denied a new wrongful death trial by the Iowa Court of Appeals.

The parents were suing McCoid, for $500,000 for loss of potential estate and damages after the death of their 11-year-old daughter. The girl was killed when she lost control and crashed into a rock, while the girls were skiing without supervision. She died instantly.

A jury found McCoid at fault for the girl's death but awarded just $13,000 for burial and medical expenses, siding with an argument from McCoid's attorneys that the value of her potential estate would have been less than the costs to raise her to adulthood.

The parents, fighting for a new trial, was rejected by the district court. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court was in agreement, saying that there was not sufficient evidence that the girl would have been able to accumulate an estate.