Paterson pays out $95,000 to settle car accident lawsuit
By Jayed Rahman
Published: February 6, 2019
Municipal officials agreed to pay $95,000 to settle a motor vehicle accident lawsuit on Tuesday night.
Council members approved the payment to Israel J. Castro, who filed a lawsuit after being involved in an accident with a city-owned vehicle, according to court records.
On Feb. 9, 2016, Castro was driving on Main Street and Memorial Drive, when city employee Alicia Gonzalez collided with his vehicle.
Castro’s court complaint states Gonzalez was operating her vehicle “carelessly and negligently” at the time of the accident. He suffered “severe serious physical and emotional injuries” due to the accident, according to his lawsuit.
Gonzalez, who works for the health department, had a different account of the accident.
“As I was coming down the Street near the intersection, the traffic light began to turn yellow, and I began to step on the brakes to slow down,” Gonzalez said of the incident in court filings. “As I was slowing down, I saw a vehicle suddenly stop in front of me, but I could not come to a stop in time. While I was not driving fast, approximately twenty-five miles per hour, I just could not stop in time.”
Council members approved the settlement following a closed-door meeting with attorneys without making any public comments on Tuesday night.
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