ONLY ONLINE: Work release inmate sues city of Williamsburg for loss of finger

A Williamsburg man is suing the city of Williamsburg over an accident involving a garbage truck that resulted in a partially amputated finger.

On Jan. 7, Aaron Burnette filed suit in Whitley Circuit Court against the city of Williamsburg over a Feb. 21, 2014 incident.
The lawsuit alleged that Williamsburg failed to properly maintain a city-owned garbage truck and that it crushed Burnette’s finger resulting in severe injuries and partial amputation.

"As a direct and proximate result of the aforesaid negligence of the defendant, the plaintiff suffered severe and permanent mental and physical injuries which have resulted in and will continue to result in medical expenses," Corbin attorneys Shane Romines and Tyler George wrote in the lawsuit.

At the time of the accident Burnette was a prisoner from the Whitley County Detention Center on a work release detail with the sanitation department, according to Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison.

Harrison declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit because the litigation is still pending.

The lawsuit asks for compensation for damages for past and future mental and physical pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, loss of future earning capacity and trial by jury.