A Genesee County jury has delivered a $3.7-million verdict against the city of Flint in a trial brought by the guardian of a bicyclist who was hit by a speeding Flint police vehicle in 2020.
The 84-year-old decedent resided in a senior community. A fire started in her apartment because of a defective product. She activated her emergency alert pendant, but it took about 10 minutes for help to arrive.
In Michigan, when a school, police department or any public agency acts with gross negligence and people die, the legal system often closes ranks around the government.
A Flint police officer who hit a bicyclist while speeding and operating without his siren activated violated state law and departmental policy, a retired Michigan police chief told a Genesee Circuit Court jury.
Johnson said the officer was breaking state law and Flint police policy while responding to a call about an active shooter and accused the city of attempting to “white-wash and cover up” the details of the crash before and during an internal investigation.
