SIMI VALLEY : City Agrees to Settle Claim for $10,000

Simi Valley has agreed to pay $10,000 to a motorist who suffered back injuries when his truck smashed into a police cruiser that suddenly turned into his path.

Nicholas V. Campagna, 25, had filed a civil claim for $67,696, alleging that he lost his car, his income, his job and ultimately his apartment because of injuries he suffered in the crash.

A police report says that Campagna was driving his pickup west on Patricia Avenue on March 2, 1994, just before 6:30 p.m.

At the same time, Simi Valley Police Officer Jeffrey Dominick, 29 was driving in the opposite direction to answer a radio call. Dominick told police investigators he spotted someone on the opposite side of the street waving at him and began to turn left into a driveway when he saw Campagna’s truck.

Dominick braked, but the truck hit him anyway, the report said.

Campagna told investigators he was driving no faster than 35 m.p.h. and tried to brake but skidded into the cruiser.

Both vehicles had to be towed away, the report said.

Campagna was in chiropractic care for more than four months for back and neck injuries, according to his claim.

Dominick also suffered back pain after the accident, according to the police report.

The City Council discussed the case in closed session Monday night and agreed on the $10,000 settlement for Campagna, which was made public after they emerged, said City Atty. John Torrance.