They died in a crash while fleeing from police. Who's to blame?
The families of two women who died in a 2022 crash while fleeing from police are now suing the West Chicago Police Department and one of its officers, saying they're to blame for the deadly collision.
The sister of driver Lady Salazar-Carrillo, 25, of Rockford, filed suit last week in DuPage County Circuit Court. The mother of passenger Reyna Alcala-Jiimenez, 18, filed suit in Kane County Circuit Court in October.
They allege police violated departmental policies to chase drivers who may have been involved in relatively minor traffic offenses.
"This is about the requisite use of force or police tactics, in relation to what the so-called crime was," said lawyer Mariam L. Hafezi, who represents Salazar-Carrillo's family.
The crash occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. Oct. 29, 2022, when West Chicago police were called to an industrial park on Enterprise Circle. Hafezi said police received a noise complaint about drivers doing "doughnuts" and spinning their cars in a parking lot.
The suits allege officer Ryan Moore followed several drivers, including Salazar-Carrillo, off Enterprise Circle and onto westbound Fabyan Parkway. His lights and sirens were activated, and speeds reached about 90 mph, according to the suits.
Moore ultimately stopped another driver, while Salazar-Carrillo drove her Dodge Charger through a red light about a mile down the road. The car collided with a Hyundai Santa Fe in the intersection, then careened into a tow truck and burst into flames.
Salazar-Carrillo and Alcala died at the scene. The Hyundai's driver was critically injured, but survived. He, too, is suing the city, the police department and the police officer.
The lawsuits all allege the officer violated the department's policy for high-speed pursuits. They say Moore failed to get permission from a supervisor to engage in a chase or articulate an acceptable reason for the pursuit.
According to the plaintiffs, the policy also states that chases are only to occur when an officer believes the occupants of the pursued vehicle have committed or tried to commit a forcible felony where great bodily harm was threatened or inflicted, or if someone is trying to escape by use of a deadly weapon.
Doing doughnuts doesn't qualify, Hafezi said, calling it a minor traffic violation.
"None of that (the crash) would have happened if the kids would have been allowed to disperse," Hafezi said.
She acknowledged that a jury could find Salazar-Carrillo bears some of responsibility for the fatal crash, and proportionally reduce any judgment it awards.
"She was just out for fun ... she was probably scared of what was happening, thinking she was in more trouble than she would have been," Hafezi said. "That's why you have the policy. It started from the police officer's decision to give chase to kids that didn't need to be chased."
West Chicago Police Chief Colin Fleury could not be reached for comment.
A few other things
Geneva police investigated the crash, because the intersection is in Geneva. Its report says that West Chicago officers were investigating a complaint of street racing and reckless driving.
An accident investigator estimated the Charger was traveling at 85 to 105 mph at time of impact; an exact speed could not be determined because the car's data recorder was damaged in the crash.
DUI prosecutor lauded
The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists has given Assistant Kane County State's Attorney Katy Flannagan its Outstanding Assistant State's Attorney Award for 2023.
It's the second time she has been honored for her work prosecuting intoxicated drivers. In 2022, Mothers Against Drunk Driving honored her.
Flanagan has been supervisor of the state's attorney's DUI and Major Traffic Unit since the spring of 2022. In the last year, she has had more than 80 pending felony DUI cases at any given time, according to the state's attorney's office. Many involved serious injury or death.
"They're all memorable," Flannagan said. "I can picture the faces of all of the fatalities. I remember all of the victims' names and everything that happened. The fatalities are worse. There's nothing you can say or do. Nothing you do changes anything."
AAIM's victim advocates, including Carrie Kilpatrick, nominated Flannagan for the award. Kilpatrick lost her 17-year-old son Nicholas in a 2014 DUI crash.
"She is phenomenal. She treats every family as if it were her own. She gives every family the feeling that they are heard when they feel they have no control. She gives them a voice. She always goes above and beyond. She's who you want on your side," Kilpatrick said.
A price on their tags
Fed up with a surge in graffiti around town, West Chicago police are putting a bounty out on the "taggers" responsible.
The department announced this week it is offering a $250 reward for information that leads to the identification of anyone behind illegal graffiti.
If you have information, call the Investigations Unit at (630) 293-2222.
Lifesaving vending machine
A second Narcan vending machine is now available in DuPage County, at the Glendale Heights Police Department, 300 Civic Center Plaza.
The machine is available all day, every day, in the department's lobby. Doses of the overdose-reversing agent are free.
It was arranged by the village, the DuPage County Health Department and the DuPage Recovery Oriented System of Care. Last year, a Narcan vending machine was placed at the Kurzawa Community Center, home of the health department, at 115 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton.
Both carry the nasal-spray version of naloxone, the drug that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.
DuPage County experienced 150 overdose deaths last year, according to the county coroner. Most of them - 106 to be exact - involved fentanyl. Many of the victims had multiple drugs, including heroin and prescription opioids, in their systems.
To learn more about administering Narcan, visit hopedupage.org/175/Using-Naloxone.
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