State settles with family of Iowa State crew club accident victim for $2 million
Iowa officials have reached a settlement with the family of one of the two Iowa State University students who died in a rowing accident on Little Wall Lake.
Iowa State freshman Derek Nanni, 19, died March 28, 2021, after the boat he and other university crew club members were practicing in capsized on the lake in Hamilton County. Three club members survived but Nanni and sophomore Yaakov Ben-David, 20, drowned in the frigid water.
Nanni's parents, Audra Zabava and Daniel Nanni, filed a wrongful death claim that the Iowa Department of Management received in August 2021, according to a document presented to the State Appeal Board on Monday.
The board's members voted at Monday's meeting to settle with Nanni's family for $2 million.
When the accident happened, it was the first time Nanni and Ben-David had ever been on the water. It also was the first time for the team in approximately 18 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wind-whipped waves caused the boat to turn over. But investigators later determined that hours, months and years of misjudgments, inadequate oversight and unfollowed safety procedures by team members and university administrators all contributed to the accident.
A crew club member wrote to Iowa State's Office of Recreation Services in February 2020 to say the club was not following many USRowing safety protocols and asked for more equipment, including a launch boat and life jackets.
"As our club stands, it wouldn’t take much for someone to get seriously hurt,” the email warned.
Ben-David's parents also have sued the state, Iowa State University, the university's sport club coordinator and the crew club's faculty adviser and coach. Their lawsuit is pending.
Sarah and Eric Ben-David filed the suit in November in Story County and allege recklessness and negligence. They seek damages for their son's suffering, death and lost lifetime income, and their loss of his companionship.
Iowa State suspended the crew club following the deadly accident but allowed it to resume this year only on an indoor virtual rowing machine. A review of management of sport clubs led to new safety requirements that left several aquatic and alpine clubs — including water ski, sailing and ski and snowboarding — unable to compete or physically engage in their activity as a university-recognized organization.
More:After fatal crew club accident, some ISU clubs can no longer engage in their sport
Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Iowa settles with family of ISU student killed in crew club accident
