$15.1M Settlement Over Police Crash in Hawaii County

Hawaii County has agreed to pay a $15.1 million settlement to the family of a Michigan man who was struck and killed by a police patrol car.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported that 63-year-old Jeffrey Surnow was riding a bicycle on the Big Island when he was killed in March 2015.

Officials say Officer Jody Buddemeyer was working his second consecutive eight-hour shift when he struck the resident of West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Buddemeyer was convicted last year of misdemeanor negligent homicide and sentenced to one year of probation.

Officials say Buddemeyer no longer works for the police department, although he is appealing the case.

Officials say the Hawaii County Police Department required officers to work back-to-back shifts, but the department has since ended the policy.