SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council this month agreed to pay a man more than $200,000 after his vehicle was rear-ended in 2018 by a large truck driven by a Solid Waste Management Department employee.
John Brubeck, who according to a 2019 lawsuit suffered “severe injuries” to his neck and lower back during the September 2018 wreck, will be paid $206,000 to settle the case.
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The settlement will be paid out of the city’s self-insurance liability fund, according to a council agenda announcing the agreement.
Brubeck was driving eastbound on Highway 90 and attempting to take the exit ramp at South Zarzamora Street when his small sedan was rear-ended by a large truck driven by SWMD employee Eduardo Garcia, Jr.
The impact of the collision forced Brubeck’s car into the back of a third vehicle.
The truck driven by Garcia, a commercial Western Star vehicle, was registered to the city of San Antonio, and Garcia was acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the crash, according to a June 2019 lawsuit filed in the case.
The suit states that Garcia was driving at a negligent rate of speed and failed to turn his vehicle to avoid the collision.
In naming the city as a co-defendant in the case, attorneys for Brubeck wrote that the city should have known Garcia was reckless, incompetent and unfit to drive.
Brubeck suffered permanent injuries, including disfigurement, which have had a serious effect on his health and well-being, the suit states.
An attorney listed for Brubeck did not respond to a call requesting comment this week.
City officials declined to comment on the settlement but did confirm Garcia remains employed by SWMD and currently works as a mechanic.