Injured Senior Gains $2.9 M Settlement as Video Exposes Officer’s Lie

New York City paid a $2.9 million settlement to an injured senior just as his personal injury lawsuit was headed for trial. According to the New York Post, the key piece of evidence was video that exposed several lies a police officer told about an incident that occurred in Brooklyn in August 2012.

Officer Thomas Hopper claimed that Jose Flores, a retired refrigerator repairman and great-grandfather, had darted out from between parked cars into the street where Hopper, riding his NYPD scooter, struck him, knocking him to the ground. Hopper issued a misdemeanor summons for jaywalking to the injured man, who was also arrested and taken to jail for three days because of a 10-year-old warrant for an open container violation. After a judge released Flores from custody, he spent four months in the hospital recovering from two broken vertebrae, and the jaywalking charge was dismissed.

Fortunately for Mr. Flores – and not so much for Officer Hopper – the plaintiff’s attorney discovered video of the incident, which clearly contradicted a number of Hopper’s assertions. The video shows Mr. Flores on the near side of the street where no cars are present, looking both ways before crossing. As Mr. Flores reaches the far side of the street, Officer Hopper enters the video frame riding an out-of-control scooter, already skidding on its side, striking Flores below the knees and pin-wheeling the elderly man who lands on his head and shoulders before collapsing in a heap.

This case is another example of the power of video to prove a personal injury case where witnesses tell contrasting stories. This incontrovertible evidence gave city officials no choice but to pay damages. The only question remaining would be how much.

If you are injured as a pedestrian crossing the streets of New York, you deserve aggressive advocacy from accomplished personal injury lawyers. Call [ln::firm_name] at [ln::phone] or contact our firm online to schedule a free consultation.