Hawaii County to pay $15.1M to settle police-involved crash

KAILUA-KONA (AP) — Hawaii County has agreed to pay a $15.1 million settlement to the family of a Michigan man hit and killed by a police patrol car, officials said.

Jeffrey Surnow, 63, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was riding a bicycle during his Big Island visit when he was struck and killed March 2015 by Jody Buddemeyer.

Buddemeyer, now 34, was working on his second consecutive eight-hour shift, officials said.

“In this case, what that policy led to is the officer being awake for more than 26 hours at the time of the accident. All the evidence indicates that he fell asleep,” family attorney Thomas Otake said.

Read more: https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/09/02/hawaii-news/hawaii-county-to-pay-15-1m-to-settle-police-involved-crash/