Clark County commission approves settlement with police officer

The County Commission approved a $75,000 settlement Tuesday with a Las Vegas police officer who was injured in a motorcycle accident on the job four years ago.

Officer Jeffrey Barker was traveling north on Durango Drive, north of the Las Vegas Beltway and south of Oquendo Road, after dark on Nov. 18, 2007.

The road was under construction in a saw-tooth pattern and found to be inadequately marked. Barker was thrown off his bike while driving on the road.

He racked up about $200,000 in medical bills. The $75,000 settlement is the statutory cap for the date of the accident. Any workers compensation claims would come from Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs, county staff said.

Because the Metropolitan Police Department is a separate legal entity from Clark County, and county officials approved the road project, the county could still be held legally accountable.

Barker is assigned to the department's traffic division.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.