In September 1997, Evanston, Ill. police sought to arrest Tracy Parham, who was wanted on charges including theft and narcotics. Parham led them on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed his sport-utility vehicle into a building. Two teenagers in the back seat of Parham’s SUV were injured and sued the city of Evanston. In 2002 a jury awarded one of the teenagers, Salonica Prado, $11 million, in a verdict now on appeal; the other passenger’s suit is pending. Evanston says the verdict is likely to cut into the city’s services budget and that it may dip into the proceeds of a $9 million bond issuance to pay that and other lawsuit payouts. (Manya A. Brachear, “Lawsuits adding up, Evanston officials say”, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 18). Richard Ryan, attorney for Evanston, “said he felt frustrated because the jury had not been allowed to hear much of the City’s evidence.” (Mary Gavin and Alan Worley, “City Zapped with $11 Million Judgment in Lawsuit over Car Chase”, Evanston RoundTable, Jun. 19, 2002).
Another idea: don’t accept rides from fugitives
In September 1997, Evanston, Ill. police sought to arrest Tracy Parham, who was wanted on charges including theft and narcotics. Parham led them on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed his sport-utility vehicle into a building. Two teenagers in the back seat of Parham’s SUV were injured and sued the city of Evanston. […]
Comments are closed.