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Clark County commission approves settlement with police officer
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The County Commission approved a $75,000 settlement Tuesday with a Las Vegas police officer who was injured in a motorcycle accident on the job four years ago.
Officer Jeffrey Barker was traveling north on Durango Drive, north of the Las Vegas Beltway and south of Oquendo Road, after dark on Nov. 18, 2007.
The road was under construction in a saw-tooth pattern and found to be inadequately marked. Barker was thrown off his bike while driving on the road.
He racked up about $200,000 in medical bills. The $75,000 settlement is the statutory cap for the date of the accident. Any workers compensation claims would come from Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs, county staff said.
Because the Metropolitan Police Department is a separate legal entity from Clark County, and county officials approved the road project, the county could still be held legally accountable.
Barker is assigned to the department's traffic division.
Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.
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It's cheaper for the county to pay $75G to the injured party than sue the contractor and pay $100G+ in legal fees.
One day boxers will sue their competitors for injuries they sustain in the ring. The top attorneys will be involved and all the nefarious will get rich.
Theres always a scam. And even the cops are doing it. Workman's Comp pays that $200,000. 75k in Barkers pocket.
Kristi, can you please update this story and identify the construction company and answer the question of why they are not being held monitarily responsible for their actions. Thanx.
I think he did.
And the payday wasn't as hot as he thought it would be.
@Shatzie - I know you have a thing against law enforcement, but in case you weren't aware people in jobs other than law enforcement "hurt" themselves so they can draw work comp and/or disability as well. In this case I seriously doubt Barker intentionally "hurt" himself.
To my fellow bloggers:
@Officer Barker, glad to hear you got some compensation (finally) for your traffic accident. I hope your injuries healed up and you returned to full duty. I was in the same type of situation in that I was hit by a drunk driver in 1986 at 7th and Bridger on a motor and I was totally trashed. The first thing that W/C did was deny my workman's comp claim (go figure). To date I am still suffering from those injuries and continued medical expenses and W/C doesn't even acknowledge my existence and claims lost records. Stay vigilante and safe. Just an old veteran cop reflecting,
Gordon Martines
CURRE.org
p.s. I experience that same road construction (saw tooth pattern) at the spaghetti bowl, on my motorcycle about 4 years ago, and almost did some more asphalt surfing.
Barker was thrown off his motorcycle while driving on the road. Thrown by who? The county? The citizens? The construction company? Maybe it was his own careless driving.
Why isn't the CONTRACTOR being held responsible for the inadequate warnings? Or is that contractor Las Vegas Paving - one of the Good Ol Boys??
Cops "hurt" themselves on purpose all the time.