KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The lawyer for the driver of the fire truck involved in the deadly Westport crash in December 2021 is now pointing the finger at the city.
This comes after an appeals hearing for Dominic Biscari on Tuesday when the KSHB 41 I-Team learned he will serve three years’ probation.
Fourteen months ago, a KCFD truck and SUV crashed in Westport, killing three people.
On the day of the appeals hearing, KCFD said Biscari was suspended without pay pending an internal investigation and said they would seek his termination.
In a new statement released to the I-Team, Biscari’s attorney Kevin Regan said the city’s “actions against Dominic lack due process and lack just cause.”
Regan also said Biscari will fight to be reinstated.
Regan now says the city has failed to fully install a safety system that can turn traffic lights green for first responders on the road in an emergency.
It was part of a statement released to the I-Team after the plea hearing.
Regan says fire trucks have the technology, but traffic light intersections don’t have it in Kansas City.
The I-Team took the claims to another defense attorney who is not involved in the case to get some insight into the statement.
“I think it’s just to generate goodwill on behalf of your client, you know, this is a guy who got up in the morning to go to work doing taxpayer service work and while doing those tasks, he got into an accident automotive,” said John Picerno, a defense attorney.
Global Traffic Technologies said the system can reduce accident rates at intersections by up to 70%.
The city declined to say whether they have the system.
The I-Team discovered that other nearby cities like Overland Park, Olathe and Lee’s Summit already have it.
Overland Park installed the system over twenty years ago.
The I-Team filed a public records request to see if Kansas City purchased and fully installed the system at fire trucks and traffic light intersections. We’ll let you know when we find out.
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