Family of woman killed during Chicago police chase files lawsuit against city
The mother of a woman killed during a Chicago police chase last fall has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that Chicago police officers acted against department policy during the chase, resulting in the woman's death.
The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Karen Henry, 61, was killed in November after a stolen vehicle crashed into another vehicle and a CTA bus in the Washington Park neighborhood. Thirteen others were injured in the collision.
The lawsuit, filed June 18 in Cook County Circuit Court, does not name any officers engaged in the alleged misconduct.
On the night of the Nov. 20, 2024, crash, police officers saw a vehicle in the 6800 block of South State Street driving fast and 'into oncoming traffic,' authorities said at the time. Officers followed the vehicle into an intersection in the 6000 block of State, where it first struck another vehicle and then hit a CTA bus.
The lawsuit alleges that officers did not request or receive permission to engage in the chase. It accuses the officers of 'utter indifference to or conscious regard for the safety of others.'
The lawsuit argues that officers failed to abandon the pursuit 'when it was the most reasonable course of action.'
As of Monday afternoon, the city had not been served with the complaint, according to Law Department spokesperson Kristen Cabanban, adding that the city does not comment on pending litigation.
The suit, which asks for a jury trial, was filed by Bethel Branford, Henry's mother and executor of her estate, according to a news release. It seeks a minimum of $50,000 in damages.
'Every day I remain completely devastated by the death of my beautiful daughter, and how senseless it was,' Branford said in the release. 'This never, ever had to happen if the Chicago police had used common sense to prioritize the safety of people in the community over a car chase. I pray now for accountability and that this type of tragedy never happens to another family again.'
Attorneys representing Branford at Romanucci & Blandin LLC, said in the release that Henry was a 'vibrant and productive Chicagoan,' who 'cared for her mother, loved her siblings and best friends, and was passionate about travel and adventures.'
'The City of Chicago continues to cause tragedies like the death of Karen Henry by recklessly engaging in high-speed chases through densely populated areas,' attorney Antonio Romanucci said in the release. 'This wholly unnecessary loss of life is that much worse because the officers involved did not even call in to request, nor did they receive permission to chase this suspect for an alleged property crime. When will it stop?'
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