Settlement Reached in Death from SF Tiger Attack

The parents of a 17-year-old boy killed by an escaped tiger at the San Francisco Zoo have reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit.

Their lawyer announced that both sides have agreed on a settlement. Terms of the payment to the family were undisclosed, but attorney Michael Cardoza says the zoo will erect and maintain a bench in memory of Carlos Sousa Jr. as part of the settlement.

Cardoza says the San Francisco Zoological Society’s insurance carrier will pay the settlement.

Sousa was mauled to death on Christmas Day 2007 when a Siberian tiger escaped its enclosure and attacked the San Jose teen and two of his friends, who survived. Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal also have sued over the attack.