Innocent woman t-boned and injured by HPD cruiser during chase shares her struggles
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- HPD is about to face a civil lawsuit for a police chase that ended when an officer t-boned an innocent woman during a chase involving a stolen car on May 7.
That woman, Martha Moran still won't get behind the wheel of a car. She has trouble talking about the accident that sent her to the hospital and when asked why she was frightened to drive again, she broke down in tears.
Suspect arrested after chase ends in crash with HPD officer and innocent driver injured
It was a violent collision at Crosstimbers and Highway 59. Moran was in a black pickup truck at an intersection. She said she saw one car zoom past after her light turned green. She paused and then accelerated. Then she said an HPD cruiser slammed into her.
"When I was hit," she told us during an interview at her attorney's office, she said, "I was confused. The airbags deployed. There was a lot of smoke. I had trouble reacting. The officer pulled me out of the car and asked for forgiveness."
She told us there was no siren. Which, if true, would be a violation of the department's chase policy. It requires the use of lights and sirens. We've learned the officer involved is under investigation by Internal Affairs, the Pursuit Review Board, and those looking into the crash itself.
Moran, who is a mother of six, three boys and three girls, wants help with her medical bills. She says she has pain along her left side, and she wants HPD to take a hard look at how and when it chases criminal suspects.
"They're racing through an intersection with complete disregard for the people they're supposed to be protecting," said her attorney Corey Gomel.
