County gets insurance review

Jay County has a few gaps in its insurance coverage, as well as some advantages over other counties, the county commissioners learned Monday morning.
Kevin Inman, an agent with Inman Insurance, provided some feedback about the county’s current policy before submitting a new quote. The commissioners are soliciting quotes for the county’s insurance coverage.
The commissioners also heard from Jay Emergency Medical Service director Pat Frazee about the danger posed by patients who have overdosed on heroin.
It’s good that Jay County has civil rights liability for law enforcement officers, Inman told the commissioners. That’s the insurance that would come into play if an officer were accused of racism in policing, as has happened in cities including Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and Chicago.
“That coverage is hard to get and extremely expensive,” he told them.
The county also has professional liability for its attorneys, while lawyers in many counties are expected to cover that separately.
What’s lacking are two areas within auto insurance. The county doesn’t have uninsured motorist insurance, so there’s no guarantee of payment if an uninsured driver damages a county vehicle.
Auditor Anna Culy said she thought the county has collected from an uninsured driver at least once. Inman told her an insurance agent may have chosen to pursue that.
The auto insurance policy also doesn’t cover medical payments. Inman told the commissioners he suspected that’s because an injured county employee could use workers’ compensation instead.
“I think that’s a big mistake,” he said, explaining that could increase the county’s workers’ compensation costs. “You need to protect your work comp.”
There is also the possibility that someone who isn’t a county employee gets injured in a county vehicle — a prisoner in a sheriff’s office car or a patient’s family member in an ambulance, for example.
“Med pay’s a great idea because it’ll keep you out of lawsuit,” Inman said.
Some ambulance passengers are causing another kind of trouble for the county. Frazee told the commissioners patients who have overdosed on heroin can be “very combative.”
Paramedics are limited in how much they can restrain violent patients. If a police officer rides in the ambulance, a patient can be handcuffed. If not, only the safety straps that keep any patient in place can be used.
An overdose patient urinated inside an ambulance Friday, Frazee said. He also tried to jump out of the vehicle.
A Jay County Hospital nurse attacked by an overdose patient has pressed charges against him.
“I’m just afraid somebody’s going to eventually get hurt,” Frazee said.
In other business, the commissioners:
•Accepted quotes on new trucks for the highway department, voting to purchase two Dodge Ram Tradesman pickups from Fuqua Chrysler in Dunkirk at a cost of $19,440 each.
Moser Motors submitted a quote of $19,927 each on new Ford F-150s.
•Were told by building and planning director John Hemmelgarn they will need to appoint a replacement for Jay County Plan Commission member Steve Ritchie, who is resigning effective at the end of the year. The new member must be a registered Republican who does not live within an incorporated area.
•Heard county attorney Bill Hinkle say he would talk to county clerk Ellen Coats and judges Max Ludy and Brian Hutchison about uncollected court costs and options for pursuing them. County council member Gary Theurer brought up the possible income source at last week’s council meeting, suggesting the commissioners look into the issue.