The family of an 11-year-old boy who was killed in a car crash on December 21, 2013 filed a lawsuit on March 24, 2014 against the Chicago Police Department.
The family of an 11-year-old boy who was killed in a car crash on December 21, 2013 filed a lawsuit on March 24, 2014 against the Chicago Police Department, stating a reckless police chase caused the death of their son. Prosecutors plan to charge the chased suspect when he returns from Wisconsin, where he is currently being held in Kenosha County jail. He faces charges in both states. Details of the Incident Rockie Douglas was driving an allegedly stolen vehicle through Chicago’s South Side when police initiated a chase. According to the Turnage family’s attorney, the chase took place through a “highly congested commercial and residential area” where police failed to activate their sirens despite dangerously ignoring traffic signals during the chase. The Turnage family was on an outing together, allegedly going to get haircuts, when the crash occurred on Garfield Boulevard at Halsted Street. The family’s SUV spun and, despite the family’s assertion that 11-year-old Donovan was wearing his seatbelt, he was ejected from the vehicle and killed. After the crash, Douglas fled the scene and was arrested three days later in Milwaukee on multiple charges for robbery and carjacking. Reasoning for Filing the Lawsuit The family’s attorney argued the police should have never initiated the chase through such a congested area. Failing that, authorities should have at least cut off the chase when they realized the “dangerous condition” they were creating. Annette Turnage, Donovan’s mother, asserted that her goal was to realize justice for her son, whose life was cut short “by something that never should have happened in the first place.” When another person or organization’s negligence is the cause of death or injury in a car crash, a personal injury or negligence claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an auto accident where injuries or death were caused by a negligent party.
