Salt Lake airport sued over fatal auto-ped accident in 2008

SALT LAKE CITY — The husband of a Maryland woman killed in an auto-pedestrian crash while walking to the airport's rental cars in 2008 is suing the driver and Salt Lake International Airport for $500,000 in damages.

Patricia Jordan had arrived at the airport on July 22 for a seminar and was crossing in a crosswalk when she was struck by a motor vehicle outside the airport's Terminal Two, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. Jordan died a few days later from her injuries.

Her husband, Harry Jordan, is suing the driver, Evelini Kinikini of Salt Lake County, and the airport, contending wrongful death. The lawsuit states the airport had experienced traffic control problems and that an airport employee had warned an accident "was likely to happen" if traffic control or other measures were not taken.

An airport employee, Ian Shepherd, sent a letter just a couple of months after the accident to Mayor Ralph Becker and other city officials lashing out at airport management, saying it disregarded his warnings about airport safety. Shepherd quit less than a month after the fatal crash, saying airport management had been warned in a safety committee meeting just six days before the crash and failed to take action.

Harry Jordan is requesting damages in an amount to exceed $500,000 and attorney's fees.

Airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann declined to comment on the lawsuit.

— Lana Groves