A Bamberg County woman who was falsely charged with driving with a suspended license has settled her lawsuit against the state of South Carolina.
According to reports, April Collins, a driver, received $12,500 from the Insurance Reserve Fund of the state, as compensation for the emotional and physical trauma she suffered due to an incident involving the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Collins described her experience as “catastrophic,” and the payment was made on her behalf.
As luck would have it, Collins was taken to the Orangeburg County jail where she was employed.
In 2021, a lawsuit surfaced that revealed she had received a speeding ticket categorized as “minor” in May of 2018. She paid a fine of $76.88 in August of the same year. The lawsuit also provided evidence that her license would not be suspended even if she did not pay the fine.
According to Collins, she was completely unaware that her license had been marked as suspended in the DMV’s system. This eventually led to her arrest by the Highway Patrol in January of 2019. Collins expressed how the experience was incredibly distressing and damaging, leaving her feeling publicly humiliated and emotionally traumatized.
Michael Fitts, the spokesperson for SCDMV, chose not to provide any statement regarding the settlement.