---
title: "Terlickers Settle for $450,000 -- Family Makes Safety Training Part of the Pang Deal"
date: 1998-07-30T23:23:01-07:00
author: admin
canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/terlickers-settle-for-450000-family-makes-safety-training-part-of-the-pang-"
section: Case News Additional
---
[All News](/news_events) / [](https://marlerclark.com/news_events) /

# Terlickers Settle for $450,000 -- Family Makes Safety Training Part of the Pang Deal

 

 

  The city of Seattle paid the family of Randall Terlicker, one of four firefighters killed in the 1995 Pang warehouse blaze, $ 450,000 in an out-of-court settlement and promised to name its training swimming pool after him, officials revealed yesterday. The city also agreed, as part of the settlement, to take steps to improve training and increase awareness of safety to minimize the possibility of a similar tragedy from happening - and, if it is approved by the Seattle City Council, to place a plaque honoring Terlicker and the three other firefighters at a new training center."Nothing can replace Randall. But by getting these things . . his life will at least have some meaning to it," said Colleen Terlicker, the 70-year-old mother of the firefighter.

The city will name the training pool for Terlicker, a swimming instructor and coach who had been an aquatics director at the Lynnwood Parks and Recreation swimming pool.

But his mother dismissed the notion that the settlement would bring closure to the tragedy that has filled their lives for almost four years.

"Everyone asks about closure," she said, "and I don't really believe there is such a thing. It doesn't exist in my mind. Our lives have been changed completely, and Randy will never be with us again."

The Terlicker family had filed a wrongful-death suit against the city, alleging that the death of Terlicker, 35, was partly due to poor training resulting in unsafe conditions.

In a statement released yesterday Seattle Fire Chief James Sewell said: "We hope that the settlement of this case will bring some peace to Randy's family. We also hope that resolving this case will help in our own healing process as a department."

The city still faces wrongful-death lawsuits from the family members of the three other firefighters killed in the blaze: Walter Kilgore, 45; Gregory Shoemaker, 43; and James Brown, 25.

And while the city gave $ 450,000 to the Terlicker family, it is likely the amount the city would have to pay the other families would be much higher if an out-of-court settlement is reached.

The primary reason is that the wrongful-death law only allows a party to recover economic losses - and not pain and suffering damages - if the victim was not married and had no children.

Because Terlicker was single and had no children, his attorneys could not have sought, had they taken the case to court, damages for pain and suffering.

"It is a quirk in the law," said Bill Marler, the Terlickers' attorney.

But the other three firefighters were all married, and they all had children. Marler said the family's willingness to settle out-of-court was increased because the city already had taken steps to improve training and increase safety awareness.

"We want to commend the city for really trying to figure out a way to prevent this problem from happening again," Marler said.

Shortly after the Jan. 5, 1995, fire, which Martin Pang set at his parents' frozen-food warehouse in Seattle's Chinatown International District, the Fire Department was sharply criticized for failing to have in place a series of operational procedures that may have prevented the death of Terlicker and the other three firefighters.

For example, the men were battling the blaze when the floor collapsed into the burning basement. But they had not been told before entering the building that the building had a basement.

Since the fire, however, the Fire Department has taken several steps to have fire-station companies survey buildings that may present "unique" firefighting hazards.

Additionally, firefighters have received training in building construction and been provided with methods to improve awareness of structural weaknesses to improve firefighting tactics.

Pang was sentenced earlier this year to 35 years in prison for setting the fire that killed four Seattle firefighters, but with good behavior and credit for serving nearly 12 months in a Brazilian jail, he could be free in 22 years.

On Tuesday, he was ordered to pay nearly $ 1 million restitution to victims and insurance companies, although his attorney said that Pang has only $ 200 to his name.

 

### Other Lawsuits

 [Infant Formula and Botulism Again - Three Sick](https://marlerclark.com/the-ten-largest-foodborne-illness-outbreaks-in-the-u-s-since-1993-and-marler-clarks-role-in-them)

 [Clover Hill Dairy Cheese sickens 9 with Listeria - 1 Death](https://marlerclark.com/clover-hill-dairy-cheese-sickens-8-with-listeria)

 [18 Sick with Salmonella from Moringa Capsules](https://marlerclark.com/18-sick-with-salmonella-from-moringa-capsules)

 [Kebab Shop E. coli Outbreak Sickens Nine](https://marlerclark.com/kebab-shop-e-coli-outbreak-sickens-nine)

 [70 Sickened by Salmonella Cantaloupe](https://marlerclark.com/70-sickened-by-salmonella-cantaloupe)

 [Headcheese linked to Listeria illnesses in Illinois](https://marlerclark.com/headcheese-linked-to-listeria-illnesses-in-illinois)

 [Raw Farms linked to another Raw Milk Cheese E.coli Outbreak - 9 People sickened - Company refuses to recall product](https://marlerclark.com/raw-farms-linked-to-another-raw-milk-cheese-e-coli-outbreak-7-people-sickened)

 [Salmonella linked to Live it Up hits 97](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-linked-to-live-it-up)

 [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters)

 [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63)

 [By Heart Infant Formula tied to Botulism Outbreak spikes to 51](https://marlerclark.com/by-heart-infant-formula-tied-to-botulism-outbreak)

 [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak)

 

 

 

### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses

 [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all)

 [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all)

 [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all)

 [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all)

 [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all)

 [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all)

 [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all)

 [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all)

 [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all)

 [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all)

 [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all)

 [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all)

 [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all)

 

 

### Lawsuits updates by year

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026)

 

 

 

##### Get Help

   

#### Affected by an outbreak or recall?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

 [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) 

##### Related Resources

   

 

######  [E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli-landing) 

...

 

######  [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) 

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

 

######  [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) 

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

 

######  [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) 

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

 

######  [Sources of E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/sources-of-e-coli) 

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

 

##### Outbreak Database

   

#### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

 [ View Outbreak Database

  ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)
