Two motions filed with the Monroe County Circuit Clerk’s Office last week indicate the family of late Columbia High School soccer player Crawford Bryant may be willing to settle at least one part of a wrongful death lawsuit.

Bryant’s family originally filed suit in March against Trevor M. Stawizynski and a family member for their alleged liability in the incident which claimed the life of Bryant, who was 15 years old when he passed away as a result of a Sept. 1, 2024, crash on Hanover Road.

This lawsuit was amended in May to include alleged violations of the Illinois Dram Shop Act against Muktanand Inc., doing business as Stop & Go Liquor at 8700 Collinsville Road in Collinsville. 

A third amended complaint, which has not yet been heard by a judge, was filed in late August and alleges “willful and wanton” conduct by the City of Waterloo as employer of a Waterloo Police Department officer who began following Stawiznyski on the day of the crash after observing his vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed south of Hanover Road on Route 3.

An attorney for the Stawizynskis filed a “motion for good faith finding” on Nov. 3 in which both parties are reported to have “negotiated an arm’s-length settlement agreement to resolve all matters in dispute for the lump sum of $250,000.”

On Nov. 5, an attorney representing the Bryant family filed a “motion for approval of settlement.”

Currently, the motions are set to be heard in Monroe County Court on Jan. 5, 2026.

The settlement would dismiss the existing wrongful death and negligence counts from the suit as well as
“extinguish any and all liability” of Stawizynski and his family member from any future claims.

The settlement does not apply to the same charges in a separate suit filed by the family of an unnamed individual who was injured in the Sept. 1 crash involving CHS students.

That suit, filed in June, was consolidated with the Bryant family’s suit for purposes of discovery.

Both lawsuits are still active against the liquor store and City of Waterloo, although a judge has yet to consider the legal standing of counts against the city.

Waterloo filed an answer to the suit’s third amended complaint in late October.

The proposed Stawizynski settlement in the Bryant’s suit along with the amended complaint and Waterloo’s response in both lawsuits are all scheduled for consideration during the Jan. 5 hearing.

Stawizynski, the driver of the vehicle, was 16 years old at the time of the crash. In February, he was charged as an adult in Monroe County Circuit Court with aggravated DUI (accident resulting in death), aggravated DUI (accident resulting in great bodily harm), and reckless homicide (motor vehicle).

Stawizynski pled guilty to a charge of DUI (accident resulting in death), while charges of DUI (accident resulting in great bodily harm) and reckless homicide (motor vehicle) were ultimately dismissed.

In Septemeber, Stawizynski was sentenced to serve nine years in prison plus two years of mandatory supervised release, with his sentence to be served at 85 percent.

As he is currently a minor, Stawizynski is incarcerated in a juvenile detention center at least until his 18th birthday. It would then be at the discretion of the Illinois Department of Corrections to transfer him to an adult facility, with a transfer required when he is 21.