Police car wreck allegedly hurt woman, paralyzed dog. Tacoma pays to settle
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- Tacoma will pay $230,000 to settle a lawsuit over a crash involving a police cruiser.
- A woman says she was injured when a police car turned in front of her in August 2020.
- The City Council authorized the payout to resolve the case before trial.
Tacoma will pay $230,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who says she suffered “significant” injuries in a crash that reportedly also paralyzed her dog after a police car allegedly turned in front of her at a city intersection.
Without making any remarks other than to vote, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized the payout to resolve the litigation that stemmed from the two-vehicle wreck at South 56th and South Cheyenne streets on Aug. 28, 2020.
A city spokesperson declined to comment on the case or settlement.
The plaintiff, Dorothy Russ, was behind the wheel of a Lincoln Continental Aviator, traveling east on South 56th Street and coming toward an idling Tacoma Police Department cruiser facing west on the same road, according to an amended complaint filed late last year in Pierce County Superior Court. The two vehicles crashed when the police car attempted a left turn onto Cheyenne Street in front of Russ, the lawsuit said.
Russ, 60, “could do nothing to avoid the collision,” according to the lawsuit. The officer, Chaz Pingul, was accused of not keeping a proper lookout and failing to operate the Ford Crown Victoria in a safe manner. He was also named as a defendant in the suit.
In response to the allegations, the city admitted in a January court filing that “Pingul failed to exercise due care and caution” but denied he had been stopped at the uncontrolled intersection prior to making a turn as Russ traveled east. Without further specifying, the city argued that Pingul had not been “the sole proximate cause of any alleged injuries” and that any injuries to the plaintiff were “caused by her own conduct and contributory fault,” according to the filing.
Russ suffered “significant bodily injuries” and incurred medical expenses as a result of the wreck, the complaint said.
Attorney Joshua Brumley, a lawyer representing Russ and her husband in the case, said in an interview Tuesday that Russ received injuries to her neck, mid-back, right shoulder and knees. A representative from Kent-based Brumley Law Firm told The News Tribune that Russ’ dog, who was also in the car, had been thrown around, hit the windshield and suffered a paralyzing spinal injury.
The involvement of the canine — a Terrier mix named Tiffany — was not documented in the complaint.
Brumley said a settlement represented the best resolution for the city, noting the significant costs associated with litigation and the risks of taking a case to trial where it’s possible that a jury could have decided a larger award.
“Whenever we, as plaintiffs’ attorneys, reach a settlement short of full trial and litigation, both parties walk away in a better position than the risks associated with a trial,” he said prior to the settlement being approved by city lawmakers. “I hate the idea of going to trial, winning some really large award from the taxpayers. And I think that if this (settlement) is approved, it’s a fair resolution for everybody involved.”
Brumley added that people are often hesitant to seek legal representation in personal injury cases even when they should. In this instance, he said it was “scary” for his client because it was the city that was the defendant.
“There’s a lot of fear that surrounds moving forward in a case like that,” he said.
