ICE tried to stop driver before fatal Grand Rapids crash
A driver died in a Grand Rapids crash Sunday after federal immigration agents tried to stop his car.
The Grand Rapids Police Department said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempted to stop the vehicle causing the driver to flee. Officers responded around 7:10 a.m. near Century Avenue and McKendrick Street, where the car had hit a tree and caught fire. The driver was alone and died at the scene.
Relatives identified him as Mario David Coronado Juarez, a Guatemalan construction worker who had lived and worked in Grand Rapids for several years. They told WOODTV station he had children in Guatemala and sent money home.
Neighbors said they saw unmarked vehicles at the scene before local police and firefighters arrived. Grand Rapids police said Chief Joseph Trigg requested help from the Michigan State Police. The department said it had no involvement before officers were called to the scene.
The police update did not establish whether agents followed the car or what caused the crash. Michigan Legal Center reported the crash and fire Monday, before the information about the attempted ICE stop became public.
Civil claims involving federal agents after a fatal crash
One possible route for a death allegedly caused by a federal employee’s negligence is the Federal Tort Claims Act. The Justice Department’s overview of that law explains that a damages claim depends on conduct within the employee’s work and circumstances in which a private person would be liable under the law where the incident occurred. An attempted stop alone does not establish negligence or causation.
A claimant using that route generally must first present a written claim stating a specific dollar amount to the federal agency whose employee’s conduct allegedly caused the death. The Justice Department’s claim instructions say the agency must receive it within two years after the claim accrues. The police investigation does not replace that filing step.
Video, dispatch records, witness accounts and vehicle movements can help establish what happened before a collision. Michigan Legal Center’s guide to police chase crashes explains why preserving those records matters. Its discussion of Michigan state and local government claims addresses a different legal process from a claim involving federal agents.
Get help from Michigan Legal Center
Michigan Legal Center: the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates handles car accident, wrongful death and civil rights matters in Michigan.
If you lost a family member in a crash involving law enforcement, 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.
Michigan Legal Center’s car accident claims page explains the crash matters it handles.