Instead of going to trial, San Antonio spent $1.5 million to settle more than 30 personal injury lawsuits against the city in 2006, according to a story on MySanAntonio.com. Of the 33 San Antonio personal injury lawsuits filed last year, an investigation by television station KENS 5 found that 17 of those suits involved the San Antonio Police Department. These subsequent San Antonio personal injury settlements involving the SAPD cost the city nearly $700,000.

One of these cases involved a $155,000 San Antonio car accident settlement awarded to Tony Jew, whose 27-year-old son T.J. died nearly two years ago in a collision with a police car. According to the story, similar-sized cities were hit with personal injury lawsuits involving their respective police departments. Specifically, the story stated that more than $1 million was spent in 41 Phoenix personal injury settlements; 14 of those cases involved the Phoenix Police Department. Dallas personal injury settlements for 23 lawsuits, six against the police, cost nearly $115,000.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said in the story that the higher numbers of incidents involving police officers are a result of having 467 cars on patrol 24/7. McManus added that city police officers will drive more than 24 million miles and average one minor San Antonio car accident per day in 2007. Besides the police-related settlements, other interesting cases in 2006 included:

• a $232,000 San Antonio car accident settlement for a couple’s personal injuries sustained during a crash caused by a city Parks and Recreation Department truck which did not yield the right of way; &

• an $100,000 personal injury settlement for a man’s San Antonio slip and fall injuries at a municipal golf course.