Staff Contributor
The Town of Amherst, New York, approved a $13.6 million global settlement to resolve multiple lawsuits stemming from a severe collision involving a town police vehicle and a car full of college students. [Buffalo News]
The Incident
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- Date & Time: Just before midnight (11:57 p.m.) on Friday, January 31, 2020.
- Location: The intersection of Sheridan Drive and Sweet Home Road in Amherst.
- The Crash: Amherst Police Officer John Rusch was traveling westbound on Sheridan Drive in a marked patrol car, responding to a burglary-in-progress call. The officer reportedly had emergency lights and sirens activated when his vehicle collided with a 2012 Chevrolet sedan traveling northbound on Sweet Home Road. [WGEZ.com, WIVB.com]
Parties Involved & Injuries
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- The Officer: Officer John Rusch sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. [1]
- The Students: The Chevrolet carried five University at Buffalo (UB) students, all of whom were injured. Several suffered severe injuries, with two passengers initially hospitalized in critical condition:
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- Savanna Hinten, 20 (Driver)
- Cara Wojtach, 20 (Critical)
- Mary Devaney, 20 (Critical)
- Brenna Sullivan, 20
- Sophia Calleo, 19 [WGRZ.com, Buffalo News]
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Legal Resolution:
The multi-year litigation centered on the actions leading up to the crash and who held the right-of-way at the traffic signal. State Supreme Court Justice John B. Licata issued a pivotal ruling on motions for summary judgment. To avoid a trial, the town finalized the $13.6 million payout, the vast majority of which is being covered by the Town of Amherst’s municipal insurance carriers. [WIVB.com, Buffalo News, ]
NOTE: This is an AI summary so mistakes can happen
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