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Grandmother, 64, Injured In Police Chase Should Get $450K: Aldermen

 Lillie Wright, 64, was seriously injured when her car was struck by a car driven by a man fleeing police, officials said.
Lillie Wright, 64, was seriously injured when her car was struck by a car driven by a man fleeing police, officials said.
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CITY HALL — The city is set to pay $450,000 to a 64-year-old grandmother who was seriously injured by a car being driven by a man fleeing police.

A City Council committee on Monday unanimously recommended settling the lawsuit brought by Lillie Wright, who broke her ankle and knee in the crash. The full City Council is expected to approve the settlement Wednesday.

Wright incurred approximately $200,000 in medical bills. She now uses a cane to walk, and faces another surgery, officials said. The settlement includes attorney's fees and court costs.

The incident began when officers on patrol in the Harrison (11th) District on Nov. 4, 2012 attempted to stop a black Chevrolet Impala that had an expired temporary license plate. The driver of the Impala stopped, but pulled away after the officers got out of their vehicle.

The officers returned to their vehicle and chased the Impala, which ran two stop signs. The officers stopped the chase, but continued to follow the Impala with their police cruiser's lights — but not sirens — activated, officials said.

The officers said they were a half-block away from the Impala when they saw it strike Wright's car as it merged from Harrison Street to 5th Avenue, officials said.

Wright's car forced into a concrete wall and the Impala spun 180 degrees. The driver of the Impala fled on foot, but was captured by the officers after a chase, officials said.

The driver of the Impala pled guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license. He was sentenced to five years in jail, officials said.

The driver of Impala testified that he struck Wright's car because the police cruiser rammed him from behind, officials said.

The officers did not notify dispatchers about the chase until after they had apprehended the driver of the Impala, a violation of the department's rules governing police chases, officials said.

In addition, because the incident was not properly classified as a police pursuit, the video recorded by the cruiser's dashboard camera was not preserved and there was no record of the crash.

The department's Traffic Review Board investigated the incident, and ruled that the officer who was driving violated the department's pursuit policy. He was ordered to undergo additional training, officials said.

The police department's policy regarding pursuits prohibits chases from being started for issues such as an expired plate. In addition, officers must stop pursuits if the person they are chasing begins driving recklessly and must activate their car's lights and sirens at all times during the chase, officials said.

If approved by the City Council as expected, it would be second large payment approved in as many months to resolve lawsuits prompted by police chases that ended in massive crashes.

The City Council in June agreed to pay the family of an 11-year-old boy killed by a speeding carjacker being chased by police $1.3 million.