Maria Federici Profile

Anger, denial turn to hope nearly 4 years after tragedy, Seattle Times, Jan. 13, 2008:

It's been nearly four years since a board flew off a rented trailer on Interstate 405, smashed through the windshield of [Maria] Federici's Jeep and sheared off much of her face.

Since then, Federici has undergone seven reconstructive surgeries, had a state law making it a crime not to secure loads named in her honor and won a $15.5 million court judgment against U-Haul and the man who failed to tie down the load that struck her car.

She has yet to receive any money because U-Haul has appealed November's jury verdict. But her lawyers expect she will eventually receive enough money to pay her living expenses and medical bills for the rest of her life.

See earlier post (May 23, 2007).