A California man has filed suit against the City of Oakland and the Oakland Fire Department over damage his pickup sustained when the driver’s door of Engine 18 was opened as he passed the apparatus at an emergency scene. But did the suit ignore an important law?
Jose Gloria Reyes filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court, alleging motor-vehicle negligence and general negligence. The complaint names the City, the fire department, and twenty unidentified defendants.
According to the complaint, Reyes was driving his 2024 Ford F-250 southbound at approximately 10 mph when he approached Oakland Engine 18, which was parked along the west curb. The police report attached to the complaint states that Engine 18 had been dispatched to an apartment building at 3801 High Street. FF Dewayne Fred Gray told the investigating officer that he was seated in the driver’s seat as other members of Engine 18 exited the apartment complex carrying equipment back to the apparatus…