$3.6 Million New Jersey Car Accident Settlement Reached for Paralyzing Personal Injuries
The city of Newark reached a $3.6 million personal injury settlement yesterday with a man and three women who were struck and injured by a stolen SUV that was fleeing from police in July 2001. A Star-Ledger story said that then 19-year-old Curtis Berry was paralyzed when the stolen SUV ran into a telephone pole and a group of pedestrians when trying to avoid hitting a compact car. Berry’s mother Violet and two other women, Jessica Pemberton and Desiree Chester, were also injured while 17-year-old teen Crystal Lee was killed in the accident.
Under the terms of this personal injury settlement, Curtis Berry will receive $2.075 million after attorney fees and costs. Violet Berry, Pemberton and Chester will each receive $150,000. The Newark City Council approved the settlement with an 8-0 vote.
At the time of the accident, Newark police said they were pursuing three car thieves during a 10-mintue, high-speed chase. This incident occurred a week before 46-year-old Patricia Tarmell was struck by a stolen Lexus being pursued by police during a 100 mph high speed chase. The story added that these two incidents caused the Newark Police Department to change its chase policy.
Following this settlement, Corporation Counsel Aney Chandy said the city didn’t admit liability and believed that the officers did nothing wrong. Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, said that the question of whether these officers followed Attorney General chase guidelines was presented before a grand jury that ultimately decided to not bring charges.