Hollister
– A woman who was injured by a Hollister police officer in
September has filed a claim against the city.
Hollister – A woman who was injured by a Hollister police officer in September has filed a claim against the city.
Ortencia Avendaño is requesting $23,726.39; she told the Free Lance that the money includes her medical expenses and lost wages. In what City Clerk Geri Johnson said is standard procedure, the City Council denied Avendaño’s claim yesterday.
According to police accounts, the officer – identified in Avendaño’s claim form as patrol officer Steve Vining – was called to the scene by Avendaño, who was serving civil papers to an identified man on Sunnyslope Road. The officer moved toward Avendaño and the man, hoping to end an argument, when an adult male pit bull charged out of the house.
The officer fired a single round at the dog. The round missed and split into fragments, some of which hit Avendaño in the leg.
Police Chief Jeff Miller previously told the Free Lance that he thought the officer acted appropriately.
Avendaño said she needed two surgeries to address the injury, and that she continues to feel pain in her leg.
“The whole thing was bad,” she said. “The only good thing that came out of it was I got to serve that SOB I was trying to serve.”
Johnson said the council always denies claims and forwards them to the city’s insurance company; the company’s claims adjuster will investigate Avendaño’s claim. According to Johnson, the council’s denial is necessary to get the legal process started.
Avendaño said she’s just waiting to hear back from the city. She added that they’ve treated her reasonably well, although she doesn’t have much experience to go on.
“I’ve never done this before,” she said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
