Settlement To Fund Dwi Fight Wife Of Man Killed Wants To Combat Drunken Driving

A woman whose husband was killed by a drunken driver says she’ll use some of the $1.21 million settlement she received to help prevent others from suffering the same fate.

Tammy Malone wants to establish an anti-drunken driving group to change laws nationwide.

Malone was particularly upset that Kyujung Jo had two previous alcohol-related offenses before he killed her husband. In both cases, Jo’s drunken driving charges were reduced after he went to court, and he received no jail time.

Mike Malone, a state Transportation Department employee, was working on a construction site along Interstate 5 on June 4, 1993. Jo sped through traffic cones marking the site and struck him, killing him instantly.

Two hours after the accident, Jo was found to have a blood-alcohol level of .16, well above the .10 legal limit. In November 1993, Jo was convicted in King County Superior Court of vehicular homicide and felony hit and run, and sentenced to nearly three years in prison. Jo has since been released.

Before getting into his car on June 4, 1993, Jo had been drinking at the House of Shogun in Federal Way. The restaurant served him even though he was visibly drunk, and took no steps to prevent him from leaving in his car, according to Scott Blair, Malone’s attorney.

Shortly after her husband’s death, Malone, now 30, sued both Jo and the House of Shogun in Snohomish County Superior Court. On Tuesday, both parties agreed to settle out of court.

The $1.21 million settlement goes beyond insurance limits for both the restaurant and Jo. This means the restaurant owner, insured for $1 million, and Jo, insured for $50,000, must make monthly payments to Malone for the next several years, Blair said.