Former Idaho Police Officer Awarded $717,000

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A former Idaho officer with the Fort Hall Police Department injured when his patrol vehicle was hit by another vehicle has been awarded $717,000 by a Pocatello jury. But Nicolas Garcia says he’d rather continue working as a police officer than have the money.

The jury in December awarded Garcia $210,757 in lost wages, $206,179 for future lost wages, and $300,000 for noneconomic damages.

In September 2007, Garcia was driving home in his patrol car when he was hit by another car that failed to yield at a stop sign. He suffered career-ending back injuries. Garcia’s case involved the underinsured motorist who hit him, a workers’ compensation claim and Granite State Insurance, which is the underinsured policy provider for Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.