San Diego has agreed to pay $2.1 million to a biker who sustained severe head injuries while riding on Torrey Pines Drive in La Jolla.
When he struck a pothole while riding his bike on Torrey Pines Drive near Amalfi Street in March 2015, he sustained facial fractures, a brain hemorrhage, and a seizure.
In a complaint filed against the city, he claims he was flung over the handlebars after hitting a pothole packed with asphalt rubble that police subsequently estimated to be 4 feet by 212 feet.
According to the lawsuit, the bicycle tumbled 10 to 15 feet on the ground and spent five days in an intensive care unit following the collision, which his wife and a friend observed.
The $2.1 million compensation compensates the couple for the bicyclist's lost wages, since he missed five months of work and may have missed out on other job chances during that period. The complaint is one of seven recently resolved claims originating from occurrences around the city, totalling roughly $5 million in payments.
Another settlement is for $1 million to two people who were struck by a police patrol car downtown. Four are for flood damage caused by water main breaks and other difficulties with the city's water and sewer systems, while the seventh is for a woman's injuries sustained in a Mount Hope incident with a police car.
In open session on March 7, the City Council authorised all payouts. The settlements follow a 2020 municipal study that found San Diego could dramatically lower the almost $25 million it spends on litigation compensation by investing in greater personnel training and deeper risk analysis.
The audit showed that San Diego spent a total of $220 million addressing about 20,000 claims and lawsuits submitted between 2010 and 2018.
Auditors also suggested preventative actions such as repairing crumbling sidewalks and concrete in high-traffic areas and redesigning problematic junctions.
