Pennsylvania State Police
PHILADELPHIA – The Pennsylvania State Police has been sued for a high-speed chase that resulted in a crash that paralyzed a man whose car was struck by the vehicle being pursued.
Ibrahim Mahhou filed suit against the PSP and trooper Domenic Oliveri Dec. 2 in Philadelphia federal court, alleging the value of apprehending the suspect in the vehicle was far outweighed by the dangers of chasing it through city streets.
Mahhou was minding his own business around 2:40 a.m. on May 31 when a car slammed into his vehicle’s right side.
“(I)mmediately following the crash, Mr. Mahhou was visibly unresponsive and temporarily trapped inside of his vehicle,” the lawsuit says. “As a result of the crash, Mr. Mahhou suffered permanently paralyzing, catastrophically life-altering injuries.”
Oliveri and an unknown trooper noticed the car after a rainy 24 hours in Philadelphia and attempted to pull it over. The Chevrolet Camaro fled rather than be pulled over.
As the pursuit progressed, the tires on the Camaro flattened as it went through the “densely populated residential and commercial neighborhoods” of South Philadelphia, the suit says.
The speed, slickness of roads and flat tires all increased the likelihood of harm to innocent bystanders, it adds.
“Unsurprisingly… (the) high-speed pursuit of the Subject Car throughout South Philadelphia ended in a horrifically catastrophic automobile accident with Plaintiff Ibrahim Mahhou – an innocent, third-party driver on the roadway,” the suit says.
Mahhou now suffers from Locked-in Syndrome – consciousness but total paralysis. The suit seeks compensation for his pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses and lost earnings.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22462-locked-in-syndrome-lis
Aidan Carickhoff and others at Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky represent the plaintiff.
