The Dallas City Council quietly voted to approve up to $165,000 to settle vehicle collision cases caused by city employees. That makes just over $900,000 the city has paid out for similar incidents this month.
Council members also learned that in fiscal year 2023, there were 709 “preventable incidents,” according to a June 14 city staff memo. There have been 425 incidents processed and deemed preventable, so far in fiscal year 2024. Another 97 incidents have not gone through the determination process yet, according to the report.
Two settlements were placed on the council’s Wednesday consent agenda — a slate of items that are usually approved with little discussion. While a few items were pulled by council members to highlight, the lawsuit funds did not make the cut.
In one case, a motorist — who was parked in a truck hauling a trailer — was hit by a Dallas Police Department vehicle.
The plaintiff’s original petition claims “the Defendant…had failed to drive in a single lane which resulted in a collision.” That led to “serious injury and damages.” The parked motorist could now receive up to a $130,000 settlement.
In another case, an employee driving a city owned vehicle made an illegal lane change — and hit another motorist. According to court records, the collision caused severe injuries to the motorist.
That council approved a settlement up to $35,000 for that incident.
This is the second time in June the council has approved funds to pay for vehicle collisions.
Earlier this month, the council approved a similar slate of funds for cases all involving city employees causing accidents. Only one council member spoke up at the time about the almost $740,000 total the city ultimately decided to approve.
“I’m concerned about the number and the size of some of these cases,” District 14 Council Member Paul Ridley said during the meeting earlier this month. “I call on the city manager to review our policies and procedures with regard to driver training and driver repercussions that cause accidents.”
The city’s Office of Risk Management Investigations Division looks into incidents involving “city equipment” — in these cases, vehicles. Past cases have involved garbage trucks, fire trucks, police cars — and one Dallas Water Utilities vehicle too.
After the initial investigation, a department “safety specialist” reviews the incident file. That can contain an incident report, photos and dashcam footage, according to the staff memo.
A recommendation on whether the accident was preventable or not is made to one of two safety committees. One of those committees only reviews incidents that involve fire or police employees, according to the memo.
If a case is deemed preventable, a letter is sent to the employee and their supervisor with the decision. Employees have 10 days to appeal the decision.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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