BETHEL — A Bethel jury has awarded $14,000 to a man who was injured in the back of a police vehicle when an officer crashed into an electrical pole.
Adrian Hoffman of Tununak suffered minor injuries in the 2014 crash after former Bethel Police Officer Aaron Fedolfi lost control of the speeding vehicle in icy conditions and slid into an electrical pole, KYUK-AM reported.
“I had a real big swollen forehead, broken nose, hurt neck and back, cut in the arm, (and a) couple black eyes,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman had been taken into police custody that night for causing a disturbance in a home while intoxicated. He was on felony probation at the time and served a short jail sentence.
Hoffman’s attorney Jim Valcarce said police footage shows Fedolfi buckling his own seat belt but not Hoffman’s.
Hoffman, a Tribal Police Officer in Tununak, used a recess during one of the last days of trial to step into another courtroom and marry his longtime girlfriend. The couple has four children together and Hoffman said the money from the lawsuit will go to them.
“All the money that I won, I’m not going to just burn it away,” he said. “I’m going to use it for good.”
Earlier this year, Fedolfi was charged with third-degree attempted sexual assault and official misconduct after attempting to force a Bethel woman to perform a sexual act on him while on duty. He is serving a one-year prison sentence.
