Fort Lauderdale Awards Family $65,000 in Fatal Cop Car Pedestrian Accident
Officials for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have agreed to pay the family of a pedestrian killed by a police car $65,000. Donald Perry, 49, was killed on March 29, 2007, when a police car driven by Police Detective Christopher Young-Tem hit him on Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Young-Tem was driving west to Lincoln Park, responding to a call about gunfire.
New reports said this was the second car pedestrian accident Detective Young-Tem had been involved in with his cruiser. Records show he had struck another pedestrian earlier that year -- a woman crossing Florida interstate 595 whose boyfriend had kicked her out of the car. In that case, the victim survived. Young-Tem has been cleared of wrongdoing in both pedestrian accidents. City commissioners met privately and decided to settle the case with Perry's family; taxpayers will foot the bill for the $65,000 settlement.
Accidents between cars, trucks and pedestrians happen in every city, in every state. There's a sad irony when a pedestrian is killed by a police officer, whose job it is to protect the public.
The National Safety Council reported that 6,074 pedestrian deaths occurred in 2005 -- that's more than the 4,387 motorcycle rider deaths reported for the same year. The same report indicates that a person born in 2005 has a 1 in 627 lifetime odds of dying in a pedestrian accident. Cross the street safely out there. Motorists are in a big hurry to get where they're going, particularly police officers responding to calls.
Fort Lauderdale to pay $65,000 to family of man struck and killed by police car
SunSentinel.com Jan. 22, 2009
Related Web Resource
National Safety Council
Odds of Death Due to Injury, United States, 2005
