KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department firefighter who killed three people in a crash nearly four years ago has received approval from an arbitrator to return to driving fire trucks, shocking victims' families and friends.
Dominic Biscari was driving a KCFD pumper truck when he ran a red light and crashed at an intersection, killing Jennifer San Nicholas, Michael Elwood and pedestrian Tami Knight.
An arbitrator affirmed his ruling earlier this month that Biscari can drive fire trucks again, receive back pay and serve only a three-day suspension.
A source confirmed that Biscari's EMT license, which was previously suspended, was also reinstated months ago.
"We don't think Dominic should walk away from this unscathed at all. He killed three people," said Laura Norris, owner of Ragazza, where San Nicholas and Elwood worked. "It's shocking, it really is."
The emotions remain raw for Norris, whose former employees were leaving work when the fire truck hit them.
"You just couldn't breathe," Norris said. "You know, and it's not okay."
She said she and a group of people fighting for justice — including several Ragazza staff members — have protested at city council meetings before.
Norris recalls a recent one where the council decided against awarding Biscari a hefty settlement.
That decision, coupled with the department's reinstatement of driver training, felt like small wins to Norris.
"I think anybody objectively looking from the outside in, which conduct resulted in a triple fatality, would question how someone in that position would receive compensation," said Tim Dollar, the attorney representing the Elwood family. “As anyone might expect to hear, the news was disturbing and difficult.”
"While the family had made tremendous progress, personally, in extending forgiveness to Mr. Biscari on a personal level as part of their own healing, and Mr. Biscari had expressed remorse, which was all positive, that does not mean that the family wanted to return to a safety-sensitive position at the fire department," Dollar said.
Dollar says the family's goal has remained to promote safety and prevent future injuries at this intersection.
"It’s why the family paid for the Opticom system themselves, to electronically alert drivers," Dollar said.
Union defends arbitrator's decision
The attorney representing the KCFD's union shared a statement defending the arbitrator's decision on Tuesday:
Local 42 is satisfied that the final arbitration award upholds the same findings and remedies set forth in the earlier interim ruling. The arbitrator concluded, after reviewing all the evidence from both sides, that the City of Kansas City failed to follow basic principles of fairness and due process when disciplining Firefighter Dominic Biscari.
The arbitrator’s findings revealed some procedural missteps in how the City handled the matter from the beginning, particularly its failure to provide the protections guaranteed by the collective bargaining agreement and long-standing City policy.
The arbitrator’s ruling was detailed, well-reasoned, and based on the facts in the record. We hope that if the Court confirms the award, the City will honor it promptly and fully, without the need for more legal proceedings.
Firefighters represented by Local 42 serve Kansas City with dedication and professionalism every day. The Union remains committed to standing up for our members when they are treated unfairly, and to holding all parties accountable to the agreements they’ve made.
Kevin Regan, the attorney representing Biscari, provided his own statement, attributable to Biscari's union as well:
“Mr. Biscari has prevailed in his second arbitration against the city. He hopes the city fulfills its obligation to the arbitrator and reinstates him immediately.”
Both the city and the arbitrator declined to comment on the ruling.
Court confirmation expected
The next step involves a Jackson County Circuit Court judge, who Dollar says has "no discretion" in the matter.
"The circuit judge must simply confirm the contract and confirm the arbitration award," Dollar said.
Families remain hopeful for justice.
Norris says she's determined to continue fighting.
"I remember thinking last night when I read this, and I was like, 'What more do we do?' But we'll find out, and we'll do it," Norris said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
—
