RICHMOND — A man has sued the city’s Fire Department over injuries he suffered when a fire truck ran him over last year, lacerating his spleen and breaking his back.
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But attorneys for the city of Richmond have countered by pointing out that the plaintiff, Emilson Garcia-Ponce, was allegedly sleeping on the Fire Department’s driveway with a blood alcohol level that was measured at .15 percent. The two sides had a status conference on Thursday, where Richmond’s lawyers reported that Garcia-Ponce “wasn’t visible” to the driver who ran him over.
Garcia-Ponce filed his suit last March, but it hasn’t been previously reported. He was injured on Sept. 24, 2025, after the truck ran him over on its way to a call. The driver, Dillon Lissol, is now named as a defendant in the suit, court records show.
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The suit alleges that Lissol and other firefighters were required to check for obstructions before leaving the station but failed to do so in a timely manner. Had they, the civil complaint says, they “would have easily observed (Garcia-Ponce) and avoided” the crash.
Garcia-Ponce was homeless and sleeping outside the station near South 12th Street and Cutting Boulevard when he was hit. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. A report filed in a claim against the city says that firefighters in the truck noted hearing a “ping” or metallic clank, then stopped the truck and didn’t notice anyone. The report also says they looked out the garage door before leaving and didn’t see anyone.
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