VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A video from a Votran bus has the Volusia County chair questioning the legitimacy of the injuries of a man who was hit.
The county settled the case with Michael Wade for $75,000.
Wade said he suffered neck and back pain and have to have surgeries because of the injuries he received while crossing the street.
But County Chair Ed Kelley said it may be worth spending hundreds of thousands of dollars next time to fight lawsuits.
Video from the accident in December 2015 shows the county bus coming to a stop at the intersection of US-1 and Mary McCloud Boulevard behind a silver pickup.
The video shows Wade on his bike at the corner and the bus driver pulling up and hitting him.
Wade gets up off his bike and walks around the bus and yells at the driver.
"If you saw that and I think when it was shown, that’s probably why they settled for $75,000, claiming $130,000 in medical bills,” said Kelley.
Wade sued the county for $130,000 in medical bills. The county countersued Wade for $18,300 to cover his jail time for a 2011 marijuana arrest.
Kelley said he voted to approve the settlement at the recommendation of the county attorney.
He said next time might be different.
“If we have to wind up paying $200,000 - $250,000 to stop something that could be frivolous, I think we need to do that,” said Kelley.
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