[Flying Dutchman]

The law is without emotion, and needs to be that way. I see alot of the arguments here as being based upon emotion, not the law. I do not feel sorry for this puke in any way. Regardless if he started the chase, which he did, the outcome is what matters.


Obviously Wordy you have never been involved in a car chase. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that most law enforcement personel hate and do not like car chases. They are not fun.

By your own statement you contradict your own arguement in that if someone else was hurt then the law enforcement is liable, suggesting that they have as much, if not more fault, than the person who committed the crime.

Law enforcement is a branch of the government. Their duty and job is to protect the safety of the community in which they serve. With that responsibility comes the "shit happens" factor. If damages are caused specifically by their actions then they are liable to pay for such damages. If they have to shoot at a suspect, and a round goes into a house and kills an innocent bystander, then they are liable for those damages. Does not mean they are wrong or negligent, but their actions directly caused the damage. In this case the officer's action directly caused the accident. You cannot play the "what if game" because it is a double edged sword. This person could have hurt somebody.....or his car could have overheated and stopped on it's own, or run out of gas. What the officer did was right, he stopped the car. Unfortunately, it hit a pole. They are still liable for the damages caused. If the guy would have lost control of the car on his own, then they would not be liable.
If some guy breaks into your house and gets hurt, and sues, you hopefully have insurance that covers that. He can only sue you if YOUR actions were wrong and caused him to be hurt. If he breaks in through a window and you immediately shoot him, you can argue you or your family was at risk and you had to defend YOURSELF. If he breaks in, grabs your tv and tries to leave, and you shoot him then you are liable because he posed no threat to you, only your tv (in the eyes of the law). ( I say shoot him, reload, shoot again and put a knife near him personally).