Officer, city sued following traffic accident

By Lisa Brody

A Birmingham police officer who allegedly rear-ended a passenger vehicle on May 11, 2019, on Woodward Avenue, was sued, along with the city of Birmingham, by a passenger in the vehicle, who alleged he received injuries due to the accident, had medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages in excess of $25,000, exclusive of cost, interest and attorney fees.

The city commission met in closed session Monday, December 7, to discuss the lawsuit. They did not disclose any discussion or decision, citing pending litigation.

Luke Patrick Lyons, represented by attorneys Geoffrey Feiger and Donald Dawson, filed suit against the city of Birmingham and Birmingham officer Yacoub Nimer Iseid on May 21, 2019, alleging that on May 11, 2019, at approximately 10:05 p.m., Iseid, while driving a city-owned patrol vehicle and “while in the course and scope of his employment as a city of Birmingham police officer” hit the vehicle Lyons was in while driving southbound on Woodward in Royal Oak, causing Lyons “serious injuries.”

Lyons was a passenger in the second row, right side of the vehicle which was also traveling southbound. The lawsuit alleges Iseid “negligently failed to pay attention to the roadway” and “was engaged in a non-emergency trip… and at no time did he activate the overhead lights and sirens.”

In the complaint, it stated that as a result of the accident, Lyons, a resident of Dearborn, was treated at Garden City Hospital following the accident “due to the severity of the accident.” Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital is within a mile of the accident site.

Trhe lawsuit claims “plaintiff suffered serious and permanent injuries and damages, including but not limited to the following: torn rotator cuff; back injury with severe pain; neck injury with severe pain; rehabilitation and/or physical therapy; medical bills and equipment; excess replacement services; excess economic loss; conscious pain and suffering; denial of social pleasures and enjoyment; embarrassment, humiliation, mortification; emotional distress, anxiety, mental anguish, fright and shock; serious bodily impairment; other damages that may become known through the passage of time and/or the course of discovery; and any and all other damages allowed under Michigan law.”