Police Officer Playing on Computer Crashes into Motorcycle

Watch video clip from 0:15 to 0:25

(POLICE CRIMES) A man who sued the City of Austin after a police car hit his motorcycle and injured him will receive a $250,000 settlement. Louis Olivier , 75 , was injured when officer Damon Dunn ran a stop sign at Magazine Street and Lamplight Village Avenue in far North Austin in May 2010 , according to the lawsuit that Olivier filed in December ……etc..…. Dashboard video released by police showed Dunn leaving a residential area, traveling through an intersection and striking Olivier, who was wearing a helmet. The city’s ban on texting while driving, which took effect in January 2010, exempts public safety personnel who use wireless devices while on duty. Guy Watts, Olivier’s attorney, said Olivier suffered injuries to his right leg in the wreck and can’t walk without assistance. Olivier’s medical expenses are close to $1 million, Watts said. State law prohibits the city from paying more than $250,000 for personal injury lawsuits that involve negligence, Watts said……etc………

I hope the man who crashed is okay. So much for public safety, instead of being an example of safe driving, this officer gets an award for reckless driving behavior. Sure is good to know someone in the name of law and order is committed to public safety at the same time violating the city’s ban on texting while driving. I would like to thank him for becoming an example of why people should not text while they drive. Bravo for EPIC FAIL in the name of law and order.

www.braininjuryattorneyinfo.org...

I don't know how many times I have seen a cop jump a curb or even rear-end another car because they were playing with the computers on the dash.

The least they could do is set the example for other drivers and be held to the same standards.

Having been there, it is a fine line for the officer.
You must drive, operate emergency lights/siren and use the PC for navigation and maps.
But, there are traffic laws that do not apply to emergency responders. And, the texting ban does not always encompass use of a PC, with a wireless connection.

At the end of the day, the officer did fail in his first duty to protect.
Sorry to hear that the guy got hurt.

reply to post by MIDNIGHTSUN


"State law prohibits the city from paying more than $250,000 for personal injury lawsuits that involve negligence"

well doesn't that just suck? as a homeowner i carry better insurance than that. WTH? so the VICTIM of negligence is supposed to pay the rest of the tab for being injured?

cities/townships should not be run this way. what do i have to do to declare myself not responsible for things I'm responsible for, become a politician? ugh no thanks. i've some morals and self-respect, no can do.

Seems to me most towns have lots of equipment that, should something go wrong, there is a high price to pay. I wonder how local volunteer ambulance squads & fire departments meet their expenses, not only to pay insurance premiums but in case of a mishap.

In our small town there are all sorts of vehicles that could cause damage: snow plow trucks, emergency response vehicles etcetera. Makes me wonder how screwed a citizen would be if they were to become the victim of an accident involving a city/town owned vehicle.

Funny.

"Oops, gotta stop playing Duke Nukem so I can pull over this guy on his cellphone."