Daughter
wins $2 million in suit over fatal chase
(As reported in the Chicago Tribune
12/14/03)
COOK
COUNTY -- The daughter of a woman killed by a speeding motorist
who was being pursued by police was awarded $2 million by
a Cook County jury Friday in a lawsuit against the motorist
and Chicago.
Dalia
Santillana, 51, was fatally injured July 18, 2000, when
her car was hit by a car driven by Jesus Gomez, then of
the 2400 block of South Spaulding Avenue. A jury agreed
with her daughter, Elizabeth Santillana, who sued Gomez
and the city, claiming that under police rules, officers
should have abandoned their chase after Gomez hit a vehicle
minutes before the fatal crash.
Gomez,
now 29, is serving an 8-year prison sentence for reckless
homicide at Menard Correctional Center. He had tested positive
for cocaine, marijuana and PCP after the crash.
"It
certainly doesn't explain why the police would violate their
own policy," said Timothy Cavanagh, Elizabeth Santillana's
attorney.
City
attorneys may appeal, said Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman
for the city's Law Department.
