A multimillion-dollar settlement in the nation's deadliest drug crisis brought no relief to Jodi Barber, whose 19-year-old son died of a prescription drug overdose. He became addicted to painkillers after breaking his collarbone.

"The pain is always going to be there as a parent," said Barber of Orange County, California. "Knowing that it was preventable really hurts. All these deaths are preventable and that hurts."

Anger and hope tinged survivors' reactions Tuesday to news that Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, had reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma. Numerous l...