Peekskill Settles $1M Lawsuit from Crash with Former Cop
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By Rick Pezzullo—
The Peekskill Common Council voted last week to settle a $1 million lawsuit with a 25-year-old man who was injured in an accident in 2016 in Rockland County caused by a former city police officer.
With only Councilman Ramon Fernandez objecting, the council voted 6-1 Sept. 18 to pay David Maldonado, instead of rolling the dice in a jury trial.
Maldonado, who was 18 at the time and a student at Yeshivat Tiferet Tora in Suffern, underwent four surgeries following the crash in Sept. 2016 in Suffern when Jonathan Mosquera, who was employed with the Peekskill Police Department, collided with a car while trying to pass another.
Maldonado, who was standing on the side of the road, was struck following the collision, while another student was killed.
Mosquera, who no longer works in Peekskill, was issued four summonses, including speeding and improper passing.
Maldonado filed a lawsuit against the city in 2017 and won a default judgment in September 2020 in the state Appellate Division. Peekskill appealed that decision but lost.
Peekskill will be transferring $1 million from its current Unassigned Fund Balance to Restricted Fund Balance for Liability and Casualty Claims.
Reportedly, Maldonado will also be receiving $100,000 from Mosquera’s insurance company and $100,000 from the other driver in the accident.
City Manager Matt Alexander said at last week’s meeting settling the case was “in the best interest of the City of Peekskill.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
