Crashes involving city-owned vehicles leading to suits
This is the second part in an occasional series looking at the lawsuits faced by the City of Jackson.
The City of Jackson is facing at least 24 lawsuits due to city employees being involved in vehicular crashes with city-owned vehicles, with one striking and killing a pedestrian.
After submitting a Freedom of Information Act request, the Clarion Ledger reviewed thousands of pages of documents as part of an investigation into the city’s approximately 135 current lawsuits.
Of the 24 vehicular lawsuits, 17 involve city employees from various department. Five of the lawsuits involve officers from the Jackson Police Department crashing police vehicles into citizens’ cars; two involve firefighters in the Jackson Fire Department crashing firetrucks into citizens’ cars.
If the city is dealing with approximately 135 lawsuits, according to past statements by City Attorney
Drew Martin, that means just over 17% of the lawsuits are related to employees crashing city-owned vehicles.
Each of the lawsuits surround suing the city for counts of negligence — though some have other counts — alleging the city is liable for vehicular crashes caused by city employees driving city-owned vehicles.
Here is a look at two of the lawsuits. One is a wrongful death lawsuit from 2017 and the other involves a member of the mayor’s administration.
Wrongful death lawsuit in 2017
According to the lawsuit, on May 9, 2017, Stevie Fuller, a resident of Jackson, was a pedestrian walking near the Gateway Rescue Mission Shelter on Gallatin Street.
As Fuller was walking, he was “struck by a motor
vehicle being owned by the City of Jackson, Mississippi and being operated by a City of Jackson employee, Robert E. Wilson,” the lawsuit states. Because of his injuries, Fuller died at the scene of the accident.
The lawsuit does not go into detail about Fuller’s injuries resulting in his death, but states he received “severe and painful injuries.”
“At all times referred to herein Robert E. Wilson was acting on behalf of and in service of the City of Jackson as its employee in his official capacity,” the lawsuit states. “The aforementioned accident was caused by the negligence of Robert E. Wilson.”
It is unclear whether Wilson is still an employee with the city. A master list of all full-time city employees in 2023 — also released to the Clarion Ledger after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request — shows a Robert Wilson employed in the city’s Department of Public Works, but it can not be confirmed whether that is the same person.
Two wrongful death suits have been filed in the Hinds County Circuit Court by heirs of Fuller’s estate. The first by Fuller’s brother, Roger Fuller, on May 9, 2018; the second by Fuller’s sister, Linda Sue Fuller, on Oct. 8.
Roger and Linda are seeking damages, according to the suit, “in an amount sufficient to reasonably and fully provide compensation for all injuries and damages to which the wrongful death heirs are entitled pursuant to Mississippi’s Wrongful Death Act (Miss. Code Ann.§ 11-7-13) together with an award of pre and post-judgment interest and all costs of court.” They are also suing on behalf of eight other heirs related to Fuller.
Joseph Roberts, of Pitman, Roberts and Welsh, a law firm in Jackson, is the attorney representing both lawsuits.
Roberts said the lawsuits are set for trial on May 20, 2024. He didn’t want to go into further details because the case is still ongoing.
Mayor’s chief of staff involved in a lawsuit
One lawsuit, filed in the Hinds County Circuit Court on May 12, 2023, involves a “Dr. Omari.”
Safiya Omari is Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s chief of staff. City Spokesperson Melissa Payne confirmed in a Thursday phone interview that Omari was involved in the crash. Payne said Omari did not want to provide a comment on the incident for this story.
According to the suit, Taboris Jefferson, a Jackson resident, was driving through a Super 7 Gas Station’s parking lot off of Bullard Street in northwest Jackson on June 9, 2022.
“At the same time, Dr. Omari, the driver of a vehicle owned by the City of Jackson, was also on the same parking lot when Dr. Omari crashed into the driver’s side of Taboris Jefferson’s vehicle,” the lawsuit states.
No details are included in the lawsuit about Jefferson’s injury, only that the crash “caused him great physical pain and mental anguish.”
The lawsuit was filed by Raymond Gee, an attorney with Tatum and Wade, a Jackson law firm.
The lawsuit does not state the dollar amount Jefferson is seeking, only reimbursement for damages including:
● Past and future doctor, hospital, drug and medical bills.
● Past and future mental and emotional distress.
● Past and future mental and emotional distress.
● Past and future physical pain and suffering.
● Past and future wage loss.
● Any other relief which the Court or jury deems just or appropriate.
City’s response
The city’s Office of the Risk Manager has policies in place for when an employee gets into a vehicular accident, said Mac Poullard, the city’s risk manager. But when asked what that policy was, Poullard told the Clarion Ledger to submit a public records request to find out.
“Make sure you quote it right. That I said if you want information, and I got a witness right here, that if you’re looking for information, policy information, you need to do an open records request,” Poullard said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon.
The Clarion Ledger has submitted that request, but has not yet received the documents.
When asked for a comment on the lawsuits, Payne said the city does not comment on pending litigation.