SCRANTON – A Wilkes-Barre woman claims she suffered grievous injuries when, as a pedestrian crossing the street in that city, she was struck by a car driven by a suspect who was fleeing arrest from officers of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.
Angela Velasquez filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Jan. 24 versus the City of Wilkes-Barre, Police Officer Twerdy, Police Officer John Doe (c/o Wilkes-Barre Police Department), Unique L. Jones, Terdell Wees, all of Wilkes-Barre, and the Pennsylvania Financial Responsibility Assigned Claims Plans, of Philadelphia.
“On or about Feb. 10, 2021, at approximately 3:30 p.m., plaintiff Angela Velasquez was a pedestrian who was walking across South Main Street at its intersection with Northampton Street, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The plaintiff was walking in a crosswalk and had a green traffic signal for her direction of travel,” the suit says.
“On the aforesaid date and time, defendant Jones was operating a 2008 Chevrolet Impala owned by defendant Wees on Northampton Street in the vicinity of its intersection with South Main Street. Defendant Jones was traveling at a high rate of speed because defendant Jones was being pursued by police officers operating cruisers owned by defendant City and operated by defendants Twerdy and Doe who were involved in a high-speed police chase of defendant Jones.”
The suit claims the chase was initiated by the named police officer defendants and others.
“During the high speed chase, defendant Jones, operating the vehicle of defendant Wees, violently struck the pedestrian, plaintiff Velasquez, in the intersection at South Main and Northampton Streets. The violent collision between the vehicle owned by defendant Wees and operated by defendant Jones and the plaintiff pedestrian was the direct result of the high speed chase that was improperly initiated and maintained by defendants Twerdy and/or Doe,” the suit states.
For multiple counts of negligence, state-created danger and statutory assigned claims plain benefits, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $50,000.
The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey R. Lessin and Geoffrey B. Gompers of Jeffrey R. Lessin & Associates, in Philadelphia.
The defendants have not yet secured legal counsel.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania case 3:22-cv-00125
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com