Family of woman killed by Dallas police squad car threatens legal action
DALLAS - The Dallas Police Department is facing legal action from the family of a woman who was hit and killed by a police squad car.
Aresly Jaramillo died on August 5 while trying to cross Elam Road in Pleasant Grove.
Police said an officer was responding to a service call at the time and was heading east on Elam Road without the lights and sirens activated.
Jaramillo, who was trying to get to the park across the street to meet her mom, crossed in front of two cars that were trying to turn left. That’s when she was hit by the police car in the left lane, police said.
"Aresly was coming across the intersection. There were two cars in the turn lane turning left. Aresly was coming in front of them. There was a Dallas PD officer traveling in the far left-hand lane. When Aresly ran out in front of the two cars, the officer swerved to miss her but struck her with the left fender of the vehicle," said Jack Kovar, the family’s attorney.
Jaramillo was not in a crosswalk. The officer stopped and rendered aid, but she died at the hospital.
While Jaramillo’s family believes her death was an accident, they also feel the city and the police department should be held accountable for negligence.
Victim's family wants crosswalks added on Elam Road
Aresly Jaramillo was crossing Elam Road in Pleasant Grove, trying to get to the other side to meet her mom at a park, when she was hit by a Dallas police cruiser in the far left lane. Her family believes her death was a tragic accident but feels the police department and city need to be held accountable.
Kovar says he hopes the city will settle the case without him having to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
"For us, we think it's a clear-cut circumstance where negligence on the part of the DPD and the city of Dallas contributed significantly to the majority of this particular tragedy," Kovar said. "Let’s do the right thing, get this incident behind us, and move forward as a community. We can’t bring Aresly back, but we can do everything we can to make sure her legacy lives on by moving this community forward."
Woman dies after being struck by Dallas police squad car
The Dallas police chief says the squad car did not have its lights or sirens on at the time.
The attorney plans to file a claim under the Texas Tort Claims Act and threatened to file a wrongful death lawsuit if necessary.
However, the family hopes the city will agree to settle the case out of court and use the money it would have spent on legal fees to install crosswalks across Elam Road near Crawford Memorial Park.
Any money Jaramillo’s family receives would go to a scholarship fund that has been set up in her name for low-income students pursuing a degree in the medical field.
The 20-year-old had just gotten her degree in physical therapy.
Dozens of residents who showed up for a balloon release said they're concerned about speeding in general on Elam Road, where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour.
Dallas has been criticized for not moving more quickly to address its ranking as one of the worst cities in the US for traffic fatalities.
"Dallas County and the city need to be held responsible for what's happening in this community," said one resident.