District rejects claim for damages
Knight: ‘There are no known reports of any staff or pedestrians who witnessed the event’
A man ran his car into a barricade sign on the Oak Park High School campus April 27, 2017, and is now seeking reparation from the district. At the Oct. 17 Board of Education meeting, the district, under the advice of their attorneys, chose to deny the claims and refuse payment for the damaged vehicle.
“An individual who alleges that on April 27, 2017, he drove his automobile into a construction safety barricade sign at Oak Park High School, apparently blown over earlier by high winds, that he did not see, causing damage to his car,” Oak Park Unified School District superintendent Tony Knight wrote to the Talon. “The claimant states it happened at 5 p.m.”
Since the incident occurred at 5 p.m. on a Thursday, no OPUSD staff or pedestrians were believed to have witnessed the event. However, according to Knight, potential witnesses could have observed the event.
There are no known reports of any staff or pedestrians who witnessed the event at the time it occurred.
— Tony Knight
“The claimant states that two passengers in his vehicle were witnesses. There are no known reports of any staff or pedestrians who witnessed the event at the time it occurred,” Knight wrote.
Due to the potential for an ongoing legal proceeding, the district was unable to provide specific details towards the identity of the individual. Knight, however, was able to provide details as to the circumstances of the damages. According to Knight, the claimant requested monetary compensation for damages that occurred to the fender of his automobile.
“The claimant states that his passenger side doors and side fender were scratched,” Knight wrote. “The claimant is requesting approximately $1100.”
The district is using government code 913 to deny the claimant’s request. Government code 913 is a notice of rejection of a government claim that has been presented to the district. The code is used to notify the claimant as to the nature of the decision that has been issued regarding their claim, and allows them to file a court action to dispute the decision reached by the district. According to Knight, the district has not been in any similar legal matters.
“[There has not been anything] that the District is aware of,” Knight wrote.
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