Fort Worth, TX: A man’s father has sued the city of Fort Worth over the death of his son last year while police chased along another car.
A police SUV was chasing another car last July and hit 57-year-old driver Andre Craig, who was not involved in the race. Craig lost control of his car and died at the scene. The deaths of this man and 15-year-old Samaria Ezell in a separate chase made people look more closely at how the Fort Worth Police Department handles car chases.
Craig’s father, Uriel Lemon Brown, went to the 153rd District Court and filed a case for himself and Craig’s estate. Brown’s lawsuit says that the police officer who hit Craig and, by extension, the city was careless and negligent because the officer drove without regard for other people’s safety; failed to control the speed of the vehicle so that it did not collide with other people; failed to keep a proper lookout; failed to pay enough attention to avoid the accident; failed to avoid the collision; failed to warn Craig; and failed to obey all traffic laws.
According to witnesses, the police car that hit Craig was following another car when it ran a red light. A police officer should wait to cross a crossing until they are sure it is safe to do so, according to department policy. For that, you would need to be able to see that the intersection is clear and there is no traffic going the other way. Officers should stop and wait until the road is clear if there is a car in the intersection.
The police haven’t said much about their investigation into that chase, like whether the cop broke the rules by entering the intersection while traffic was coming the other way. An incident report that was given to the Fort Worth Report had a lot of information blacked out.
Brown wants a jury trial and for damages, including past and future pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical bills, loss of service, loss of companionship, funeral costs, and interest on the debt before and after the ruling.