New York — The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that a police chase in the Upper West Side of Manhattan ended in the fleeing car crashing into pedestrians two days ago. The police were chasing an SUV that was speeding away from a car stop but apparently lost control during the pursuit. Witnesses explain that the car crash occurred when the teenager suspect hit  wall and then struck two pedestrians, including one young child. The child, only 4-years-old, was fatally injured in the car accident and died at the hospital. The child was walking along the sidewalk with her grandmother who was also seriously injured in the SUV crash. The second car accident victim was also rushed to the emergency room of a local New York City hospital for treatment of her accident injuries. Witnesses report that the driver of the SUV hit the grandmother twice, the second time backing up into the woman, before he was stopped by police. Some residents placed partial blame for the injuries and wrongful death on the police officers who, they say, should have ended the pursuit earlier. The police department’s policy states that a police chase should be discontinued if there’s undue risk of injury or death to the officers or the public, while the fleeing suspect otherwise does not represent a clear and present danger. Criminal charges are being filed against the driver of the SUV but an accident lawyer explains that a personal injury lawsuit and wrongful death lawsuit may be filed as well. The legal expert also says that the police may be named as defendants in the civil lawsuit as well, if there’s evidence that they unnecessarily endangered the welfare of the citizens on the street. You can find out more about this pedestrian accident here.

Photo by Ryanandlenny (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons