Motorcyclist dies in crash while being chased by police
A motorcyclist died at a hospital after crashing in a police pursuit.
The Wyandotte Police Department received a report around 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, of a motorcycle going more than 100 mph on Biddle Avenue. Officers found a rider with no license plate near Spruce Street and tried to pull him over.
Police said he didn't stop, at one point riding into oncoming traffic. The pursuit continued into Riverview, where he turned onto a dead-end road, lost control and crashed. He was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital, where he died.
Michigan State Police are investigating the crash.
Does a police chase automatically make a department liable?
No. Michigan law generally protects government agencies from negligence lawsuits while they're performing governmental functions. An exception under MCL 691.1405 allows claims for bodily injury or property damage resulting from an employee's negligent operation of a government-owned motor vehicle.
In Robinson v. City of Detroit, the Michigan Supreme Court held that deciding to pursue a fleeing vehicle doesn't itself satisfy that exception. For an innocent person injured in a fleeing vehicle, the court required more than the pressure of being chased, such as a police vehicle hitting the fleeing vehicle or physically forcing it off the road or into another vehicle or object.
The court also distinguished the duty owed to innocent people from the absence of a duty to fleeing wrongdoers. Those differences help explain why the injured person's role and the police vehicle's involvement matter in police chase crash claims in Michigan, which Michigan Legal Center discusses in more detail.
Get help from Michigan Legal Center
Michigan Legal Center: the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates handles motorcycle accident, serious injury and wrongful death claims.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a crash involving a police pursuit, Contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether the circumstances support a claim 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.