WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Wichita musician Jenny Wood is suing the city of Wichita after a police chase ended with a crash that killed two of her relatives and left her permanently disabled.
Wood alleges in the lawsuit filed Thursday that the police officer who started the chase on May 5, 2019, was not properly trained. The stolen vehicle that was being pursued collided with the Wood family’s car, killing her mother and niece and seriously injuring Wood.
The lawsuit notes the chase went through downtown Wichita at speeds up to 75 mph on a busy Sunday afternoon, and contends the resulting crash was predictable, The Wichita Eagle reported.
Wood suffered brain trauma and bleeding, a skull fracture, seven broken ribs, multiple pelvic fractures and a broken collarbone, according to the the lawsuit.
City spokesman Jim Jonas declined to comment on pending litigation.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, Mia Collins of Douglass, was on probation for stealing a handgun. She was charged with stealing a vehicle but that charged was dropped in exchange for a guilty plea on the weapons charge.
She and a passenger in her car, Christopher English of Wichita, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
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