When Connecticut drivers see lights or hear sirens, they should check to see if they need to pull over to let an emergency vehicle pass. Sometimes, an ambulance is rushing to help someone. On other occasions, it may be the police, chasing after a driver that is attempting to flee. In these cases, other drivers on the road are at an increased risk of a fatal accident, because police chases often involve high speeds and negligent suspects.
Recently, one police officer may be facing disciplinary action after he continued to chase a suspect, reportedly with only blue lights as a warning to fellow motorists, through an area of congested traffic. The officer’s superiors say that the officer did not use good judgment by continuing to chase a suspect through the busy streets, and the suspect wound up hitting a car that was not involved. Three people, including an innocent man that had just been to visit his newborn baby at the hospital, died as a result.
The crash is still under investigation, but the officer has been reprimanded because a chase may have been too dangerous to other drivers. People may not have seen the lights, and witnesses state that the cruiser driven by the officer was so far behind the suspect’s vehicle, people were not properly warned to pull over and get out of the way of the fleeing driver. The officer stated that he had attempted to pull the vehicle over for suspicious driving infractions, but admits the chase may not have been necessary, since he got the information from the suspect’s license plate.
When a fatal accident causes injury or death to a loved one, Connecticut families may feel angry at the party that caused the accident. Innocent victims and their lived ones have every right to contact an attorney. Often, an attorney may be able to help victims take legal action against a negligent party, and be awarded compensation for their suffering.
