PennDOT pays $187K to settle Mercer Co. icy road lawsuit

HERMITAGE, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has paid $187,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the mother of a Mercer County elementary school teacher who died in a 2009 crash while driving drunk on a road where poor drainage caused ice to form.

Thirty-five-year-old Farrell Elementary teacher Melissa Miller died Feb. 27, 2009 when she crashed after hitting an icy patch on the Shenango Valley Freeway.

Her mother's lawsuit, brought on behalf of Miller's three children — ages 13, 9, and 8 — had already resulted in a $375,000 settlement with companies that helped develop that stretch of road.

Reports indicate PennDOT has paid $187,500 to settle the final claim.

Police found Miller was twice as drunk as the law allowed and had enough codeine alone in her system to impair her driving.