KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council is set to begin discussion Thursday on a $915,000 settlement as part of lawsuits involving the firefighter driving a KCFD firetruck that crashed in Westport and killed three people.
Dominic Biscari was behind the wheel of a Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department pumper truck in December 2021 when he was involved in a crash with an SUV at the intersection of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard.
The crash killed three people.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, KCFD’s fire chief suspended Biscari pending the outcome of a criminal case involving Biscari as part of the crash.
As part of their collective bargaining agreement, Local 42 filed a grievance in March 2023 over Biscari’s suspension without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case.
An arbitrator reviewed Local 42’s grievance, and in April 2024, handed down his decision, calling for Biscari to only be suspended for three days, that “most references” to the crash be removed from his personnel file and that arbitration costs be assessed to the city.
The city filed a civil suit in April 2024 asking the arbitrator’s ruling be vacated. That lawsuit has been in litigation ever since.
The city’s legal team is now recommending the City Council approve a settlement of that lawsuit, associated grievance and arbitration and a worker’s compensation claim filed by Biscari. The total settlement would add up to $915,000.
In February 2023, Biscari pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to three years probation.
Jennifer San Nicolas and her passenger, Michael Elwood, died in the crash, the impact of which caused both vehicles to leave Broadway and plow into a nearby building.
Tami Knight, who was walking on the sidewalk with her boyfriend in the area, was killed when the vehicles left the road and crashed into the former Riot Room building, partially collapsing the building.
In November 2022, the City Council approved spending $1.84 million to settle the city’s portion of three wrongful death lawsuits and a fourth property damage lawsuit in connection to the crash.
Those lawsuits also named Biscari as a defendant. The parties agreed to enter a binding agreement with an independent arbitrator that negotiated an award of $29 million to the families of Elwood, San Nicolas and Knight. Knight’s boyfriend, who was walking with her the night of the crash, was awarded $2 million. The property owners of buildings damaged in the crash were awarded roughly $1.4 million.
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