The Place Where Ludington Talks
Could this happen in Ludington?
YPSILANTI, MI – The city of Ypsilanti is being sued for a 2015 injury crash involving an Ypsilanti police officer.
Anthony Michael Collins, 26, filed suit on April 12 in Washtenaw County against Ypsilanti police officer Ashley Kofahl and the city for damages in excess of $25,000 for injuries he received in the Sept. 10, 2015 crash.
The Ypsilanti man suffered a traumatic brain injury, neck and lower back injuries, leg lacerations and lacerations of multiple tendons in his right leg and foot, according to the complaint. He also suffered injuries that impaired his ability to move his foot.
Kofahl's patrol vehicle collided with Collins' 2001 Nissan Altima at Washington Street and Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti about 6:50 p.m. Sept. 10, 2015, according to a Michigan State Police incident report written by Trooper Siera Hammond.
Collins was attempting to turn south onto Washington Street from westbound Michigan Avenue when he was struck by Kofahl's patrol vehicle headed eastbound on Michigan Avenue. Kofahl had recently had a call for a silent bank alarm canceled.
She was found at fault.
"Anthony Collins had proceeded through the intersection cautiously," Hammond said in the report. "However, Officer Kofahl's speed of 57 mph in a 35 mph zone, heavy traffic, and no siren due to the silent alarm call all contributed to determining Officer Kofahl was at fault."
In-car video footage from Kofahl's patrol vehicle showed the alarm was canceled and she turned off her emergency lights seconds before the crash.
After the crash, Kofahl can be heard groaning in pain.
Ypsilanti police officer Tommy Porter's in-car video shows he was driving behind Kofahl at the time of the crash. Porter, passersby and officials including Ypsilanti City Manager Ralph Lange can be seen coming to Kofahl's and Collins' aid following the incident.
Lange said he was in the area when he heard the crash and came to help Kofahl.
He said "it's a miracle" that the cars didn't strike the nearby pole or building.
Voices heard on the videos show some at the scene thought Collins was likely at fault in the crash. Kofahl can also be heard asking about the other driver's condition, but those with her did not have an immediate answer.
Collins was suspected to have a head injury after the crash, according to the MSP incident report. Kofahl had a broken ankle.
Kevin Riddle, Collins' Birmingham, Mich.,-based attorney, previously told The Ann Arbor News that Collins has ongoing physical problems due to the crash.
Collins will suffer mental anguish, depression, anxiety, humiliation and wage loss in the future due to the gross negligence that caused the crash, according to the lawsuit.
Ypsilanti police Lt. Deric Gress said due to the pending litigation, neither the Ypsilanti Police Department nor Kofahl would comment on the crash. Kofahl did not respond to an individual request for comment.
Gress previously declined to comment on disciplinary actions taken against Kofahl or police protocols for use of lights and sirens. He said corrective training measures, including a review of policies and emergency vehicle operation training, were taken after the crash.
Michigan law gives special exemptions in driving for police vehicles, even at times when they drive without an audible signal for calls requiring silence. However, police vehicles can only exceed the speed limits as long as they do not endanger life or property.
Ypsilanti City Attorney John M. Barr said the city received the lawsuit and has sent it for review by the city's insurance providers through the Michigan Municipal League Liability and Property Pool.
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/04/man_sues_ypsi...
https://www.facebook.com/mlive/videos/10154160436213896/?comment_id...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Doe Jr on
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Does anyone agree that the Sheriff's Office should be moved out of the City Limits?
Racing out of town every time they get an emergency call when the calls originate outside the City, is pure ignorance.
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Permalink Reply by Jasper on
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Never ever understood the rationale of the MCSO being located within the city limits of Ludington. One would believe the MCSO would be centrally located within the county to best "serve and protect" insert sarcasm!! LMAO. When you think about it....the kayak guy was arrested by the MCSD at Crosswind's which is the City of Ludington. Where were the city of Ludington LEO's??
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Permalink Reply by XLFD on
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If our county government was able to choose one base for their sheriff's department, it would logically be located somewhere halfway between the two EMS stations in the county which were placed so as to efficiently minimalize response times within the county. One is just north of Scottville, one is about a mile east of Ludington on First Street, which would make the MCSO better placed at US 10 near Stiles Road.
Good point about the kayak guy, Jasper, where indeed was LPD?
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Permalink Reply by Willy on
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Most county Sheriffs are located in the county seat and that's why Ludington is the base for the Mason County Sheriff's office. There's also an agreement between the Ludington Police and the Sheriff to handle complaints inside Ludington but all of this doesn't bode well for quick response times in the outlying areas of Mason County. Most county seats are centrally located inside their counties but Ludington's choice as county seat was created by political maneuvering way back when, and also the fact that most of the people lived on the west side of the County. This is what created this imbalance in geographic location of the Sherriff's office. Relocating to Scottville would seem to be a more logical choice for better response times but politics and lack of funds would prevent that.
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Permalink Reply by shinblind on
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Wasn't there a couple of crashes down through the years which involved the LPD in hot pursuit?
While not the same thing it is close enough to make one wonder if the LPD has ever instituted a written policy about this issue.
I think it was around 1996 when the County discussed the idea of relocating the Sheriff Department and County Jail outside of the city. The jail needed rebuilding and the idea was rather than remodel, to move the entire operation in the vicinity of where Meijers now sits. There was even talk about building a new Courthouse there also.
I think there was a vote on issuing bonds to pay for this that the citizens soundly defeated. Most bond proposals were voted down back then. The electorate had more common sense than they do today.
There was some opposition to moving the Department and Jail because it wasn't centrally located in the County. Other objected that the current jail was only 35 years old at the time and it would be less expensive to remodel than to build new. Others objected on principle that they didn't want to bury themselves and their children in debt.
Since then, with the dumbing down of the electorate, voters now blindly support any bond proposal that comes along no matter how extravagant and useless. It seems as though Economics along with Government is no longer taught properly in schools.
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Prior to the vote the citizen's were told the addition to the jail would house inmates from other counties. These inmates would create extra revenue for Mason County. Several years after voter's approved the addition the jail would no longer accept inmates from outside the County. Currently does anyone know if the jail is housing inmates from other Counties? Anybody know?
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I remember that Jasper.
Laude Hartman was Sheriff when the jail was finished and he thought that magically like in the movie Field of Dreams that if you built it they will come but it didn't initially work out that way.
Eventually it got filled up but then there were issues with staffing, overhead, unions and County Commissioners who actually challenged the Sheriff about his budget.
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Raises the question how many beds is the jail utilizing? How many empty beds are there at the jail that taxpayers are paying for after taxpayers voted for the addition after being misled the addition would create extra revenue? Anybody believe Sheriff Cole would provide this info? Nah...don't believe so. Sheriff Cole is far to busy getting slimed by school children, etc...among other attention seeking behaviors unrelated to actually being a Sheriff! Just read the latest edition of the local media!! LMAO!
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Further....while on my soapbox......can anyone explain why if inmates of the Mason County Jail are charged a housing fee while incarcerated why do taxpayer's pay an outrageous amount of taxes to fund the jail. Would Cole provide to the local just how much money is actually collected from the incarcerated. Probably not as he is far too busy bull shitting with the media and getting "slimed."
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Michigan Municipal League Liability and Property Pool
Law Enforcement Action Forum
This group of Michigan law enforcement executives was convened for the purpose of working with the Loss Control staff, to assist with the development of law enforcement model policies and related materials. Over the years, LEAF has grown to be a valuable resource for the Michigan Municipal League and other agencies in the State when addressing law enforcement public policy issues. The membership of the LEAF Committee, which comprises Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Public Safety Directors form agencies of all sizes from around the State, is representative of the Michigan Municipal Liability and Property Pool and Workers' Compensation Fund members that have law enforcement agencies.The Forum is supported in their mission by members of the Michigan Municipal League Risk Management Services staff, Loss Control, and by attorneys who specialize in the area of police liability and legal defense. Collectively, these individuals assist the members of the Forum in researching various public policy issues,
and in framing model policy and procedure language for the Manual of Law Enforcement Risk Reduction.The LEAF Committee meets several times yearly to exchange information and ideas relating to law enforcement issues and, specifically, to address risk reduction efforts that affect losses from employee accidents and incidents resulting from officers' participation in high-risk police activities.
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This is the Video from the Police dash Cam and the Officer following this patrol cars camera.
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Having witnessed MCSO vehicles going above 20 mph beyond the speed limit on US 10 and M116 without lights and sirens (one time to respond to a 'silent alarm' at a private residence), it is only a matter of when this happens in Mason County. Our sheriff could make some statement and enforceable policy to curb such abuse by his deputies, but he has chosen not to.
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