Supreme Court affirms award in crash case

Oct. 19--ST. PAUL -- A woman who was injured in a crash with a school bus northwest of Mapleton can keep disputed financial damages awarded by a jury, a divided Minnesota Supreme Court ruled.

Ambree Getz won a personal injury lawsuit against a bus company and driver in 2017.

Getz was injured when she collided with a Palmer Bus Service bus on County Road 39 near 148th Street on Sep. 25, 2012. The bus, driven by Eila Peace, reportedly failed to yield.

A Blue Earth County jury found Peace 80% at fault and awarded Getz nearly $466,000 in damages. The award included $225,000 for past medical expenses -- the amount of Getz's initial medical bills.

Blue Earth County Judge Kurt Johnson reduced the past medical expenses portion of the award to $46,000 -- the amount Getz's insurance providers actually paid for Getz's care after negotiated discounts were applied.

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Such a reduction is typically required under state law. But there is an exemption for Social Security recipients.

Dispute over whether Getz's case qualified for the exemption made it all the way to the Supreme Court. The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed Johnson's decision and the Supreme Court upheld the reversal this week.

Two of the Supreme Court justices agreed with Johnson's finding that although Getz's insurance was funded by Social Security, she wasn't exempt because private companies actually provided the insurance and negotiated the price reductions.

But the majority of justices decided the exemption should still apply when Social Security benefits are provided by a third party that is contracted by the government.

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