BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The family of 17-year-old Klaw Reh is suing the City of Buffalo after a city garbage truck ran him over last fall, resulting in the loss of his leg and severe spinal injuries.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, names the city, the truck driver Sasiya Malika Davis Johnson, and another city worker, Emmanuel Simmons, as defendants.
The incident occurred on the morning of October 2, when Reh was walking to school. His family's lawyer, Charles Desmond, said Reh was crossing the street when the sanitation truck reversed abruptly, striking Reh.
"This is a 60,000-pound truck that ran him over and then went forward, ran him over again," Desmond told reporters.
One witness told 7 News that the garbage truck backed up at a high rate of speed.
"The young man is still in ECMC. He's incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical bills," Desmond told reporters Friday.
According to a police report, the person who was supposed to be acting as the spotter was in the passenger seat talking on his cell phone instead of being outside the truck. The report also noted that the driver's commercial driver's license was suspended at the time of the incident.
Desmond said despite his injuries, Reh remains in good spirits, though he faces many more months in the hospital.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident for possible criminal charges.
7 News received a statement from the City of Buffalo which said that the driver of the vehicle is no longer an employee of the city although the sanitation division street worker is still employed. The city also said that since it is a pending legal mater, it has no further comment at this time.
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