Huntington Beach shells out $343,000 in settlements
Personal Injury News
Article Date: 8/16/2010 | Resource: External
Huntington Beach shells out $343,000 in settlements
HUNTINGTON BEACH The city spent a little more than $343,000 in three months to settle six cases, which included personal injury lawsuits and three lawsuits involving city vehicles.
The two biggest settlements were a $120,000 payment to Paula Lemons, who was hit by an ATV driven by a city employee while she was on the beach, and $159,000 paid out to Howard Linn for an accident involving a police car.
Linn sued the city, along with four others, after they said they were hit from behind by a police vehicle in October 2007 on Golden West Street south of Talbert Avenue.
Linn and the other passengers were stopped in their Hyundai Sonata when the police car hit them going about 50 mph, which caused them to be “violently thrown about the vehicle”, according to the lawsuit.
In a response to Linn’s lawsuit, the city contended the officer was not liable for the crash because the group “failed to exercise ordinary care on their own behalf for their own safety”.
The city also paid $30,000 to Harold Hill, whose wife slipped and fell in a puddle and died months later.
Hill’s wife, Cora Hill, 65, of San Dimas, slipped in the puddle at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 near the 22000 block of Susan Lane. Hill’s attorney said the pool of water could not be seen because it was dark and there were no street lights.
Cora Hill fractured her left femur, which Hill’s attorney said sparked a series of events that led to her death.
Cora Hill underwent intense physical therapy but arthritis in her right knee was causing extensive pain. Doctors suggested operating on her knee and she was told to discontinue taking blood-thinner medication before her surgery. Shortly after, she suffered a fatal stroke, according to the lawsuit.
City officials had been notified twice in 2004 of the standing water on Susan Lane but the Hills were told twice there were no funds available to fix the problem, according to an Orange County Register article.
The city also paid $10,000 for a woman who was rollerblading and fell when her skate got lodged in a pothole and $4,250 for a crash involving a city vehicle.
The final settlement was a $20,000 payout from the city’s Redevelopment Agency fund for a case in which attorneys defended the Huntington Beach Conference Center for allegations the center violated the Public Records Act and the Brown Act.
City Attorney Jennifer McGrath reported four new cases were received from March 31 to June 30 and there are currently 38 active cases the attorneys are working on.
For more information regarding this article please contact:
Jeffrey Marquart
(949)589-0150
jmarquart@marquartlawgroup.com