LAPD accidents result in fatalities and over $90 million in settlements

Richard Paper's last recollection from the day of the accident involved a morning walk, with the next memory being waking up in a hospital weeks later. Following a collision in the San Fernando Valley that left both Richard and his brother Stephen injured, the brothers, in their mid-70s, filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the officer involved, resulting in an $18 million settlement. The settlement is believed to be the highest ever paid by city taxpayers to settle a police collision case. Despite the attention usually given to lawsuits over police shootings and protest tactics, incidents involving law enforcement vehicles in traffic remain a persistent and expensive issue. The city had already spent over $90 million on payouts and verdicts in more than 1,200 lawsuits related to police-driving incidents over the past decade. Official records indicate that over 500 collisions involving LAPD and other law enforcement vehicles occur annually citywide, with officers found at fault in nearly half of these incidents. While many are minor, some have been fatal, such as the case where a police cruiser killed a man in a rush to retrieve uniforms or another incident where a young filmmaker was fatally struck during a search for an assault suspect. The LAPD has implemented various measures to reduce traffic crashes, including DUI checkpoints and additional patrols, but incidents like the one involving the Paper brothers raise concerns about the safety of police driving practices.