Portland City Council agrees to $66K settlement with 77-year-old injured cyclist
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — City leaders have approved a $60,000 settlement with a 77-year-old man who was injured while cycling on a damaged road that the Portland Bureau of Transportation is responsible for maintaining.
During Wednesday morning’s City Council session, Portland commissioners and Mayor Ted Wheeler unanimously passed the emergency ordinance involving a resident identified as Robert Gleason.
The Portland man alleged he was cycling downhill on Southeast Vacuna Street on Dec. 24, 2020, when he “hit a substantial depression in the roadway surface and pitched over the handlebars of his bike impacting the street surface face-first.”
Gleason’s injuries included broken bones in his neck and hand, a cervical vertebrae fracture and deep wounds on his face. He was transported to the Oregon Health and Science University hospital, where he underwent reconstructive surgery to his upper lip and face.
According to the complaint filed in December 2022, Gleason requested $200,000 in the economic damages from past and future medical expenses. The plaintiff sought an additional $1.75 million from the City of Portland, for its failure to maintain Southeast Vacune Street.
Documents show the Risk Management department recommended the $60,000 settlement to prevent the city from owing more if the case were presented before a jury.
Although Mayor Wheeler approved the amount during the latest City Council meeting, he raised concerns for the “defensive settlements” the city has agreed to.
“I really don't know what the answer is here, except that there's a lot of smart attorneys out there who are keenly aware of the fact that the city more or less has to accept some degree of settlement and provide some degree of a payday,” Wheeler said.
“I want to be very clear — I have a great deal of sympathy for Mr. Gleason… but my suspicion is that he's not going to see most of this. My suspicion is that his lawyers are going to see most of it," he added.
In response, Commissioner Rene Gonzalez suggested a work session in which city leaders would reconsider their approach to liability claims.