SOUTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY (First Alert 4) – A mother of four is dealing with financial troubles after a suspect being pursued by police hit her minivan.
Stephanie Fried had a green light at South Broadway and Marceau Street last March when she was hit by a car running from police.
“I went to cross over South Broadway, and I was hit by a car that was running from the police. And then it pushed me so hard into another car at the stoplight,” Fried said.
The crash sent Fried and two of her four children to the hospital. Her youngest suffered a broken collarbone. Her minivan was totaled.
Financial troubles mount
Fried only had liability insurance, and the problems escalated after the crash.
“I have the towing company suing me because of unpaid tow fines. I’m also having the car that I was pushed into; they’re suing me,” Fried said.
She is suing her own insurance company on her lawyer’s recommendation for her uninsured motorist policy.
“Lots of financial troubles. I just wish I could go back to what it was prior to the accident. This wasn’t my fault, and I have so many bills coming in for it,” Fried said.
Recent pursuit ends in crash
Marlowe Smith, a manager at Cafe Telegraph, heard a loud noise outside on Thursday afternoon.
“It sounded like a loud crash followed by a boom,” Smith said.
Smith came outside to see the aftermath of a head-on crash that totaled a woman’s car at Telegraph Road and Kingston Drive. The accident was caused by a suspect running from the police.
“You immediately saw lights, sirens. And there were about three or four undercover cars there with two or three cars that were involved in the accident,” Smith said.
William Bishop was arrested and charged with running from police, creating a risk of injury or death, and tampering with a vehicle.
Questions about pursuit policies
Fried questions the decision by the police on the day of her accident.
“I mean, I think there are other ways to catch a criminal. I don’t think you have to chase them down a main street in the middle of the day,” Fried said.
Tim Maher, a professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said eliminating police pursuits would be unrealistic.
“To eliminate them altogether is really unrealistic. To send a message to would-be criminals that police are simply not going to pursue would invite criminals to their jurisdiction. Because they would know all they have to do is hit the gas and police are going to have to back off,” Maher said.
Maher said every police department has police pursuit policies, but it ultimately comes down to the officer’s decision.
“It still requires good judgement, from the police officer based on the circumstances,” Maher said.
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