A Tragic Death Causes Concern over Police Practices
A devastating tragedy reported by the Chicago Tribune has people wondering who’s to blame.
This week, the heartbreaking death of a five year-old child occurred after police in Chicago Heights, Illinois, handed car keys to an intoxicated adult.
According to the Chicago Tribune, after a 23 year-old woman was pulled over and taken into custody for driving with a suspended license, police gave the keys to the 1998 Chevy Cavalier to the woman’s boyfriend; her five year-old son was strapped in a car seat in the back seat.
The woman’s boyfriend spent much of the evening drinking with friends, reported the Chicago Tribune. At some point during the evening, the woman and her son joined him, and, because she wasn’t drinking, she was supposed to drive them back to the man’s house. Instead, she was stopped at 2:35 a.m. by Chicago Heights police for making an improper turn without a signal, reports show. An officer arrested her and handed the vehicle and her son over to her boyfriend.
According to authorities, the boyfriend “didn’t seem drunk.” Nevertheless, less than 40 minutes after the traffic stop, the man veered off the road and the car slammed into a tree. The young boy was killed at the scene, but the driver was unhurt.
Apparently the man’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, and he had marijuana in his system; he has since been charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless homicide in the single-car accident, reported the Chicago Tribune. However, the issue remains that the municipal police not only permitted, but also encouraged the man to drive.
Police have a duty of care to the people they protect. Chicago personal injury law principles hold that when people take a particular job in which they undertake to provide services needed for the safety of others, they assume a duty to carry out this promise and are required to use reasonable care in performing their duties.
When the person offering to provide those services fails to use reasonable care in carrying out the job, and his or her negligence causes injury to another person, the negligent person is responsible for the injuries caused, and may be made to answer to an Illinois personal injury lawsuit.
In this particular case, the Chicago Heights police undertook to provide safety to their constituents. They failed to use reasonable care because they didn’t ensure that the man was able to safely operate the car, and this failure ultimately was a cause of the little boy’s death.
Even though the driver has been indicted, the charges understandably provide little consolation to the boy’s family. Illinois personal injury lawsuits attempt to put people back in the position they were in prior to the injury or accident occurring by covering medical expenses, lost wages, or by compensating people for pain and suffering or the loss of a loved one.
Though they cannot bring back lost life, Chicago personal injury lawsuits are vital in the pursuit of justice.
