CHICAGO (WLS) — A jury awarded nearly $80 million to the family of a girl killed in a crash involving a car speeding away from Chicago police.
The verdict was reached Wednesday evening in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Da’Karia Spicer’s family.
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It was September 2020 when a car speeding away from Chicago police slammed into the car the 10-year-old was in.
Her little brother and the driver of a third vehicle were seriously hurt.
The family was awarded $79.85 million.
Chicago police reported that on September 2, 2020, officers were trying to stop a black sedan in the 8000-block of South Halsted Street for traffic infractions. However, the sedan fled towards the west on 80th Street.
The black sedan initially crashed into a gray car being driven by a 57-year-old woman who was heading north on Halsted. Following that collision, the black sedan hit a tan sedan that was parked on the westbound side of the street. Inside the parked tan sedan were a 43-year-old man, a 10-year-old girl, and a 5-year-old boy.
Tragically, the 5-year-old girl identified as Spicer was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Her 5-year-old brother was also transported to the same hospital and was listed in critical condition. The 43-year-old man from the parked tan sedan was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital for further evaluation.
Darnesha Johnson said her fiancé, Kevin Amir Spicer, was driving the children to Foster Park Elementary School to pick up Da’Karia’s laptop for remote learning. He called her after the crash.
“He was hysterical,” she said. “We’ve been together for almost 15 years, and I’ve never heard him like that. He was saying, ‘Mama’s not responding.'”
“Mama” was Da’Karia’s nickname.
She said her daughter likely died instantly.
“I will never be OK. I will never be OK after today. They took my firstborn child,” she said.
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