Local musician Jay Korber was dragged about 41 feet by the San Francisco street sweeper that struck his as he rode his bike in December, 2012. A year and a half later, the city appears ready to compensate Korber, with the Board of Supervisors today mulling a $3.75 million settlement for the injured man.
Korber, who's been described as "the most baddass freejazzmetal drummer/tenor player in San Francisco," was cycling towards his SoMa apartment from his Wednesday-night street hockey game at around 12:30 AM on December 13, 2012 when a street sweeper vehicle made a turn near Sixth and Brannan, striking the cyclist.
Korber was dragged beneath the vehicle, and was so tightly pinned beneath the truck that fire crews had to extract him, SF Weekly reported at the time. According to the East Bay Express, Korber spent a month in SF General's ICU, with "a compound fracture of his pelvis, a shattered tailbone, several broken ribs, a torn colon, and a ruptured bladder."
Korber's life has changed a great deal since the collision: for example, he had to give up his apartment, as it was neither disabled-accessible nor allowed to be sublet during his recovery. Then there are the medical bills. Though Korber was on Healthy San Francisco, the EBX reports that only about half his monthly medical payments were paid for by the program. Regular donations from friends and fans, disability insurance, and benefit concerts have helped keep Korber afloat.
In a lawsuit filed in April, 2013 (you can read the full complaint here, and view all the court docs here), it's alleged that the city "negligently and carelessly owned, entrusted, controlled and maintained" the street sweeper, not only injuring Korber but causing "a loss of income and earning capacity" and destroying his bike. According to the Chron, the city attorney's office has agreed to give Korber $3.75 million, and to give $322,000 to SF General for unpaid medical costs.
In today's Board of Supervisors meeting, the Supes are expected to refer this proposed settlement to the board's Rules Committee, which needs to OK it before sending it back to the full board. (In light of ongoing legal proceedings, neither side in the case provided comment to SFist.)
Meanwhile, the musician still appears to be focusing on getting better. "He's made a really good recovery in some ways but there are other things going on," Korber's attorney told the Examiner this week
