State of California to Pay $335,000 to Woman Injured in Car Accident Caused by then-state Senator

By Andrew Weatherford

Published on July 16, 2009

In an announcement last week by the California attorney general's office, the state will pay $335,000 to settle a lawsuit resulting from a 2007 car accident caused by then-state Senator Carole Migden. The victim, Ellen Butawan, sustained minor injuries after being rear-ended by the Democratic senator and filed a lawsuit in Solano County Superior Court against both the state of California and Migden.

Butawan was slowing down for a red light in Fairfield, California, when she was struck by Migden's state-issued Toyota Highlander. According to 911 calls that were made, the senator had been driving erratically for about thirty miles prior to the accident, speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on Interstate 80 and Highway 12.

Migden claimed that the medication she was taking to treat her leukemia might have caused her erratic driving on the day of the accident. According to the investigation by the California Highway Patrol, a contributing factor in the accident was the senator's use of her cell phone while driving.

After the accident, Migden had pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was fined $710. Her license was also suspended for several months.

Migden lost her seat in the Senate to fellow Democrat Mark Leno in the 2008 elections.

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