A woman whose foot was amputated following a workplace injury at an airport in Washington state has settled a civil suit for $11 million.

Alyah Payne, injured in a work-related vehicle collision in April 2021, sued the Port of Seattle along with Hensel Phelps Construction Co. and other defendants following the workplace incident.

Payne was operating a baggage tug at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when she crashed into another baggage tug that had been rounding a blind corner. Her lawsuit accused the Port of Seattle of failing to provide safety measures such as a stationed flagger around the blind corner.

The Port of Seattle and Hensel Phelps paid a total of $11 million in the settlement, which was not subject to confidentiality, according to the attorney who represented Payne.

Payne also reached a separate “amicable resolution with an unspecified entity, the terms of which are confidential.”

The attorney noted that the $11 million figure is the highest settlement ever for any worker injured at SeaTac Airport. The highest jury verdict for a similar case was $40 million.   

At the time of the incident, Payne was employed by McGee Air Services Inc., which had been another defendant in the lawsuit. 

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