SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio City Council on Thursday morning voted to settle a vehicular negligence lawsuit filed against the city in 2020 for $140,000.
The suit stemmed from a summer 2018 incident in which the plaintiff claimed she was driving on I-35 just north of downtown when a now-former city employee rear-ended her in a city-owned pickup truck while on the job. Court documents state he later admitted he wasn't paying attention to the road.
The lawsuit states the woman's car struck the car in front of her as a result, adding she "suffered severe pain and injuries to her neck, shoulders and back" and that she ended up seeking medical attention. It goes on to claim the then-employee acted "with conscious indifference or reckless disregard for the safety of the plaintiff."
A draft of the ordinance eventually passed by City Council on Thursday stated the city "vigorously contested" the claim, but the city's attorney, Andy Segovia, recommended the settlement in order "to avoid the uncertainty and risks associated" with going to trial.
City officials confirmed to KENS 5 that the defendant named in the lawsuit left his job with San Antonio in October of 2021.
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