The city of Bartlesville received a notice of a tort claim from a motorcyclist injured in a collision with a police patrol vehicle driven by an on-duty officer.
The claim, which seeks $175,000 or the amount applicable from the insurance policy, whichever is greater, allows the city 90 days to investigate before a lawsuit can be filed.
The accident occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 16, at the intersection of Hensley and Quapaw on the west side of Bartlesville. According to the Bartlesville Police Department, the motorcyclist was transported to a Tulsa hospital and last reported in critical but stable condition.
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Additional details about the crash revealed
According to the collision report obtained through an open records request, Officer Tyler Heck, who was operating the patrol vehicle, was heading south on Quapaw and claimed he stopped at the stop sign at Hensley Boulevard but did not see the motorcycle until the impact.
Officer Levi Johnson , who was riding in the patrol vehicle's passenger seat, corroborated Heck's statement, noting that they stopped and then proceeded through the intersection. Johnson said he did not see or hear the motorcycle until it was 5 or 6 feet away.
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A witness at the scene reported not seeing the wreck but heard the motorcycle accelerating, estimating its speed at 50 to 55 mph on the city street. The motorcyclist, identified as Steven Hanner, was intubated at the hospital and could not be interviewed. The report noted serious injuries to Hanner's head, body, and arms.
The report concluded that there were no improper actions from the motorcyclist and identified Heck's failure to yield at the stop sign as the contributing factor to the crash.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville grapples with tort claim after officer crashes with motorcycle
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