Topeka, Kansas, to Settle 2016 Police Crash Lawsuit for $335K

The city of Topeka, Kansas, has settled a lawsuit over a 2016 crash involving a police cruiser that left two people injured, according to a city official.

The city has agreed to pay $335,000 to settle the case, Topeka City Manager Brent Trout told television station KSNT.

The incident stemmed from an April 2016 crash in which an on-duty officer drove through a red light, reportedly at an excessive speed, and hit a car driven by Jesus Meza. The collision caused the car to roll several times and seriously injured Meza and a passenger, Mayra Meraz.

In 2018, the pair sued the city for $5 million. The lawsuit said Meza had to undergo surgeries after being diagnosed with a scraped cornea and several fractures and that Meraz suffered from headaches as well as back and hip pain following the crash.