TULSA, Okla. — A civil trial eight years in the making is finally set to begin on Monday, May 4.
A Tulsa police officer crashed into a woman downtown and said in a deposition that it was an avoidable mistake.
So, why has the case dragged on this long? The victim’s attorney believes the case is indicative of a bigger problem.
On March 16, 2018, Rhoda Adams says she had a green light at 6th and Elgin when she was hit by Officer Robert Bowman, who had a red light.
According to the traffic report, Bowman was trying to catch up to a four-wheeler driving on city streets. The report says the officer had blipped his siren a couple of times.
Data shows the officer was traveling up to 55 miles per hour in the 25-mile-per-hour zone. Three cars were totaled. The officer hit a light pole.
“The pain was so bad, I thought I was having a heart attack,” Adams said.
Adams says she never dreamed she would have to file an insurance claim until she went to pick up the police report.
“The lady at the police station said, ‘that officer just ran you over?’ and I said ‘pretty much,’ and she said ‘you need to get an attorney,’” she recalled.
She hired Mark Lyons.
“They [TPD] did nothing to investigate this,” he says.
Lyons began his own investigation and says he was shocked to learn that TPD policy, effective in 2016, does not allow police officers involved in accidents to receive citations.
While patrol cars have dash cameras, the report states that Bowman’s camera malfunctioned and did not record.
Lyons found surveillance video from a nearby building.
Adams wants the City of Tulsa to pay for her medical bills. She says she’s had two vertebrae fusions, removed discs, two bulging discs, and has chronic pain.
Lyons says this case has been dragging on for so long because the city has refused to offer more than $12,000.
“It definitely would not take care of all my medical bills,” she said.
“The system is rigged against citizens and is in favor of police, and it tarnishes the reputation of every good police officer when the city and other officers act this way,” said Lyons.
Adams is ready for this chapter of her life to be over, but wants the city to be held accountable.
The Tulsa Police Department does not comment on stories about pending litigation.
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