Teenage Boy Killed in High-Speed Chase
Five 12- and 13-year-old boys fled from police in a stolen car in West Houston. Only two of them walked away, and only four of them survived.
Police said this started with a stolen car speeding first off Richmond before ending up on Westheimer Road in the Westchase District. A chase followed from there and police said the stolen car then crashed into another car this time on South Kirkwood Road. HPD said the driver then crashed into three more vehicles on Westheimer Road trying to avoid a bus. After that crash, four young boys then jumped out of the car and started running.
“All of the suspects are between the ages of 12 and 13 years old,” HPD Assist. Chief J.L. Anderson said. Two of the boys were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, another two were arrested at the scene and the fifth boy, who was found unresponsive in the back seat, later died, he added.
Car Crash Injuries
Young children with under-developed brains and bodies are especially vulnerable to car crash injuries, like:
- Head Injuries: The violent motion of a crash, as opposed to a trauma injury, often causes a head injury. This motion causes the brain, which isn’t much bigger than an oversized coffee mug, to slam violently and repeatedly against the skull, causing brain bleeding and swelling. The resulting injuries are usually permanent. Dead brain cells normally don’t regenerate.
- Broken Bones: Even if victims are wearing seat belts, their arms and legs usually flail wildly during crashes. This impact normally crushes these bones. Since doctors must use metal parts to surgically reconstruct these bones, physical therapy is longer, more painful, and more expensive.
- Exsanguination: Excessive blood loss, usually as a result of internal bleeding, is usually the official cause of death in a car crash case. Excessive, violent motion causes internal organs to smash against each other. The resulting small abrasions usually gush blood. Internal organs don’t have protective skin layers.
A Sugar Land car accident lawyer connects victims with doctors who accurately diagnose and successfully treat these injuries.
High-Speed Police Chases
Young boys don’t follow traffic laws when they steal cars and flee law enforcement. So, pursuing officers don’t have to drive defensively. However, this liberty is not unlimited. A Missouri City personal injury lawyer can argue that a police chase was reckless, and therefore official immunity doesn’t apply, based on factors like:
- Amount of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area,
- Violent or nonviolent nature of the offense,
- Violation of a permanent no-chase policy or a ad hoc no-chase policy (e.g. pursue with caution), and
- Passengers in the vehicle, if any.
In the above story, most of these factors point to a reckless high-speed chase that pierces official immunity and makes officers liable for damages.
The young boys hit four cars during the chase, so the amount of traffic in the area was obviously high. In most cases, auto theft is a nonviolent offense. Finally, officers can usually determine how many people are in a vehicle. In this case, they probably also knew that the people in the car were young teenagers.
Damages in a car crash case usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Usually, the police department or other entity that employed the officers is financially responsible for damages, under the respondeat superior rule. Another obscure legal doctrine, the notice of claim rule, often adds another layer to an already complex case.
Count on a Hard-Hitting Fort Bend 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/police-chase-houston-crash-westheimer-richmond/285-eca86ecf-68f6-428a-96bb-2194fab27a7c
