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Settlement reached after crash between motorcycle, city electric truck

Posted at 12:45 pm February 8, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-and-Illinois-Avenue-Crash-Aug-14-2016

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a crash between a motorcycle and a city electric truck at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue on Sunday morning, Aug. 14, 2016. The electric truck is pictured at right in the background. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A financial settlement has been reached after a crash between a motorcycle and an Oak Ridge Electric Department utility truck in August 2016 left an Anderson County man with critical, life-threatening injuries, broken bones and compound fractures, a head injury, permanent impairments—and medical bills of almost $1 million, according to court records.

The settlement agreement between Don and Charlotte Wyrick, conservators for Brandon Wyrick, who was critically injured in the crash, and the City of Oak Ridge was approved by Anderson County Circuit Court Judge Don Elledge in Clinton on January 23.

The agreement said Wyrick would be eligible to receive, under Tennessee law (Tennessee Code Annotated 29-20-403), no more than a damage cap of $300,000, if he were successful at trial. In December, the city agreed to pay that $300,000 maximum.

Also as part of the settlement agreement, the city’s insurance provider will “satisfy medical liens and subrogation interests” of about $663,000. That’s reported to be possible through the Tennessee Municipal League Risk Pool.

“This figure is above and beyond the tort cap and will be paid to the medical providers in previously agreed-upon amounts for expenses incurred to date,” the settlement agreement said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Circuit Court, Benjamin K. Lauderback, Brandon Wyrick, Christopher Field, City of Oak Ridge, civil complaint, crash, Dan Pilkington, Don and Charlotte Wyrick, Don Elledge, Governmental Tort Liability Act, Gregory Brown, Lowe Yeager & Brown PLLC, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Ruth Eschman, settlement agreement, Tennessee Code Annotated 29-20-403, Tennessee Municipal League Risk Pool, University of Tennessee Medical Center

Bullets for blanks negligent, but rounds not put into guns during police training, attorney says

Posted at 10:21 pm July 13, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Today

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge police lieutenant who sent deactivated .38-caliber pistol ammunition and live .223-caliber rifle rounds rather than blanks for use in a training session three years ago was negligent, an attorney said Thursday.

But the mistake was detected before the live rounds were put into guns, and there was no imminent danger or harm to anyone, said Benjamin K. Lauderback, who represented the City of Oak Ridge in oral arguments before the Tennessee Court of Appeals in Knoxville on Thursday.

The police officer who detected the error, former Oak Ridge Police Department Sgt. Mark Coffey, filed a formal complaint two days after the August 20, 2011, training session, known as an “active shooter” response. He resigned a few months later in October, and in August 2012, he filed a lawsuit in Anderson County Circuit Court alleging retaliation and wrongful discharge.

In the lawsuit, Coffey said other ORPD employees retaliated against him after he filed the complaint against Lt. Brad Jenkins, who supplied the ammunition. Coffey said he had been forced to resign and was “constructively discharged.” Before he left the job, Coffey said, he had been re-assigned to work under Jenkins, and he resigned because of the alleged retaliation and fears for his personal safety. He sought $600,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

The city won a summary judgement, which is like a dismissal, in August 2013. Anderson County Circuit Court Judge Don Elledge did not find that Coffey’s working conditions were bad enough that an ordinary person couldn’t tolerate them, Lauderback said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, State, Top Stories Tagged With: active shooter, ammunition, Anderson County Circuit Court, Benjamin K. Lauderback, blanks, Brad Jenkins, Charles D. Susano Jr., City of Oak Ridge, complaint, constructive discharge, constructively discharged, D. Michael Swiney, Don Elledge, Jim Akagi, John W. McClarty, lawsuit, live rounds, Mark Coffey, Matthew Tedford, negligent, Oak Ridge Police Department, oral arguments, ORPD, reckless endangerment, retaliation, rounds, summary judgement, Tennessee Court of Appeals, Thomas Leveille, work conditions

Former officer drops lawsuit that alleged hostile workplace, sexual rumors

Posted at 5:03 pm February 20, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 3:51 a.m. Feb. 21.

A former Oak Ridge police officer who had alleged she was the subject of sexual rumors that had created a hostile work environment has withdrawn a $1.25 million federal lawsuit against the city.

Former Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Christina Targonski had alleged that another officer had spread sexual rumors about her—allegedly telling other officers that she had invited him to an orgy and was distributing nude photos of herself to “whoever wanted them,” federal court records said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Benjamin K. Lauderback, Christina Targonski, EEOC, Facebook, gender discrimination, harassing phone calls, intimidation, John Thomas, lawsuit, Leon Jordan, lesbian, Michael S. Shipwash, Mike Uher, nude photos, Oak Ridge Police Department, orgy, ORPD, retaliation, sexual harassment, sexual rumors, Stephen Liston, stipulation of dismissal, U.S. District Court, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, voluntary withdrawal

Family withdraws lawsuit over fatal 2010 Oak Ridge police shooting

Posted at 6:22 pm January 16, 2013
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 a.m. Jan. 17.

The family of a man fatally shot by Oak Ridge police after he allegedly threatened officers with a knife and stabbed a police dog has withdrawn a lawsuit against the city, municipal officials, and four police officers.

The voluntary withdrawal of the lawsuit, a stipulation of dismissal, was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Nov. 16.

The plaintiffs—the estate of Rodney Eugene Harris, 48, and his wife, Patricia Harris—have one year to refile the civil lawsuit, which sought an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

A Feb. 4 trial had been scheduled before Senior U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County District Attorney General, Benjamin K. Lauderback, Christopher Ray Carden, Dave Clark, Dustin David Henderson, Hillside Road, John Boyd Thomas Jr., Michael W. Ritter, Oak Ridge Police Department, Patricia Harris, police shooting, Rodney Eugene Harris, Roy James Heinz, U.S. District Court

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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