Sedgwick County to pay $310,000 to woman hurt in traffic crash caused by county employee
A local woman rear-ended by a Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department employee the day after Christmas in 2017 will receive a $310,000 payout from Sedgwick County to settle a civil lawsuit.
Matilda Pruitt sued Jarrod Truman and the county, his employer, for negligence in October over a collision near Valley Center that left her with head, neck, back and other injuries. According to Pruitt’s lawsuit, Truman was driving northbound on Meridian where it intersects with 60th Street North when he “negligently, carelessly and recklessly” failed to stop behind Pruitt’s vehicle as she paused to make a left-hand turn on Dec. 26, 2017.
The impact pushed Pruitt into oncoming traffic, where she was hit head-on by another vehicle, causing her to spin out of control and be struck by a third vehicle. The lawsuit says Truman told the investigating law enforcement officer that “he was looking down on the floor of his vehicle when he collided” with Pruitt.
The Sedgwick County Commission approved the $310,000 payment during its Wednesday meeting. Pruitt signed and dated the settlement agreement Monday, the document shows.
“Sedgwick County respects the legal process and had admitted liability in this case as our driver rear ended Ms. Pruitt as she was waiting to make a left turn; the only matter at issue was the value and extent to the damages Plaintiff sustained,” the county said in a news release.
Pruitt’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The settlement amount is a little more than half of the $600,093.76 in monetary damages Pruitt claimed she was entitled to in a July 2019 notice of claim to the county, court records show. Those requested damages included more than $196,000 for past medical expenses; $100,000 for future medical expenses; and $300,000 for pain and suffering.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 5:03 PM.
