San Diego pays $1.3 million to family of man fatally injured in Mount Soledad motorcycle crash

The city of San Diego paid out $1.32 million this week to the daughters of a man who died after a 2014 motorcycle crash near the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla.

Darin “Ricki” Barioni suffered significant injuries when he hit a pothole while riding his motorcycle and flipped over while traveling north on Via Capri near Rue Michael, according to a lawsuit filed by his daughters, Jenny and Grace Barioni.

The crash occurred in October 2014. Darin Barioni eventually died from his injuries in June 2020 at age 58, the suit states.

The city reached a settlement with his daughters in December, a few weeks before San Diego County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Medel had scheduled a civil trial to begin.

The plaintiffs contended the city failed to keep public property safe and to anticipate dangerous situations that should have been easy to foresee.

The settlement came in the wake of a 2020 city audit that found San Diego could significantly reduce the nearly $25 million a year it spends on lawsuit payouts if it invests in better employee training and deeper analyses of risks.

The audit found that San Diego spent $220 million total over nine fiscal years, from 2010 to 2018, handling about 20,000 claims and lawsuits filed during that time.

Auditors also recommended proactive measures such as fixing damaged sidewalks and concrete in key areas and revamping dangerous intersections. ◆