Driver critically injured in Dearborn Heights crash

A driver was critically injured Tuesday night in a Dearborn Heights crash that police sources linked to a pursuit.

The crash happened at Inkster and Warren roads Oct. 20. Police closed both roads during the investigation, but the intersection reopened later that night.

The department that began the reported chase and the reason for the pursuit weren't immediately identified.

When can a police pursuit crash lead to a claim against a Michigan agency?

Michigan government agencies generally have immunity from state-law negligence suits while performing governmental functions. The motor vehicle exception under MCL 691.1405 allows claims for bodily injury or property damage resulting from an employee's negligent operation of a motor vehicle the agency owns.

In Robinson v. City of Detroit, the Michigan Supreme Court held that deciding to pursue a driver isn't itself negligent operation of a motor vehicle. For passengers injured in a fleeing vehicle, the court required physical involvement, such as the police vehicle hitting the fleeing vehicle, physically forcing it off the road or into another vehicle or object or physically causing another vehicle or object to hit it.

The court also held that police owe a duty of care to innocent people during a pursuit, but not to fleeing wrongdoers. Michigan Legal Center's explanation of police chase crash claims in Michigan discusses why the injured person's role and the police vehicle's involvement matter.

Get help from Michigan Legal Center

Michigan Legal Center: the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates handles motor vehicle accident and serious injury claims in Michigan.

If you were injured in a crash involving a police pursuit, contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether the matter falls within Michigan Legal Center's practice areas.

There is no attorney fee unless money is recovered for you. Case costs and fee terms are governed by the written fee agreement.