The City of Ottawa has settled over 260 personal injury or property damage settlement claims so far this year, costing taxpayers close to $6.4 million.
According to a report for the Finance and Economic Development Committee, the Claims Unit dealt with 749 claims in the first two quarters of 2016 that were either settled or denied. Of those, 254 were settled for under $100,000 each. That amounts to $1,428,782.49 in total costs. 36 cases were for personal injury, the rest were for property damage.
The total number of claims under $100,000 each was slightly down from the same period in 2015, when there were 261 settled claims. However, the total cost for those claims was up slightly over last year. The 261 claims in 2015 cost the City $1,410,328.49.
For claims over $100,000, the City settled 10 in the first six months of 2016, compared to 13 in 2015. A collision involving the City and a third-party vehicle cost the City $1,140,993.78. In one case of a City vehicle hitting a pedestrian or cyclist, a total of $1,416,854.78 was needed to settle the claim. In total, the 10 claims over $100,000 cost $4,925,083.60 to settle - That's down from $5,800,378.27 for the same period in 2015.
According to the report, the costs referenced refer to all costs borne by the City in finalizing a settlement, including court costs, legal fees, and investigative costs. Settlement payments include those made pursuant to negotiated settlements as well as any court-ordered damages.The details around each claim are kept confidential, in keeping with standard settlement practices.