Reckless Police Chase Kills Two People
HPD vowed to investigate a high-speed chase in southeast Houston that killed two people and seriously injured two others.
Houston police said officers tried to pull over a driver for running a red light on Broadway and almost hitting another car but the driver refused to stop. Police said they weren’t sure how fast the car was going, but it was definitely over the speed limit.
“With the burglary tools and a bag that one of the suspects had over their shoulder that contained what we thought was a pistol, however, it ended up being a BB gun and they also had two screwdrivers inside the bag,” HPD Asst. Chief Adrian Rodgriguez said. “We believe they were involved in some type of criminal activity.”
Four males were in the car and one passenger died at the scene. The other three were taken to a hospital where another passenger was pronounced dead.
Establishing Recklessness
“Extreme recklessness” is not a meaningless label or marketing phrase. It’s a legal phrase with legal connotations. The law of qualified or official immunity, which protects many police officers in reckless shooting cases, doesn’t apply if officers acted extremely recklessly.
Overall, people, including police officers, are reckless when they don’t properly evaluate situations and intentionally disregard the safety of other people. Many of the facts in this story indicate the chase was legally reckless, meaning that a Missouri City personal injury lawyer can obtain compensation for these victims.
- Burglary Tools: There’s not a “burglary tool” aisle at Home Depot. The people in this car had tools which could be used for burglary or for any other purpose. Additionally, in most cases, burglars threaten property, not public safety.
- Pistol/BB Gun: Anyone can make a mistake. That’s why pencils have erasers, and that’s also why a Sugar Land car accident lawyer never takes anything at face value, but instead thoroughly investigates car crashes and other personal injury incidents.
- Almost Hitting Someone: Let’s be honest. Most of us almost hit someone, or someone almost hits us, pretty much every time we get behind the wheel.
- Vehicle’s Speed: Vehicles are difficult to control at high speeds, increasing the likelihood of a serious crash, especially because velocity also multiplies the force in a collision. Slight excessive speed, usually less than 15mph over the limit, usually doesn’t have the same catastrophic impacts.
Even if the officers in this case were correct, evading arrest is not a capital offense and police officers are not judges, jurors, and executioners.
Other extreme recklessness factors to consider include the time of day, amount of traffic at the time, non-chase options available, such as tagging the vehicle with a GPS tracker, and any written or unwritten departmental anti-chase policies.
Compensation Available
If an extremely reckless police chase caused injury, a Missouri City personal injury lawyer can obtain compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Usually, a reckless police chase claim is a two-part claim. First, a Missouri City personal injury lawyer must file a notice of claim. This notice gives the city, county, state, or other responsible government unit an opportunity to investigate the facts and settle the matter before it becomes public record.
For the most part, early settlements are few and far between, because the defendant doesn’t have a duty to negotiate in good faith. Early settlements in ugly cases are more common, since the defendant wants to keep the case out of the headlines.
If the defendant makes a low-ball offer or doesn’t make an offer at all, the matter proceeds to court. Most civil cases settle out of court as well, although they usually settle late in the process.
Reach Out to a Diligent Harris County Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Lone Star State.
Source:
khou.com/article/news/crime/deadly-police-chase-crash-long-drive-houston-texas/285-ae16ea21-30a0-4967-81a5-07b091fb937e
