Police chases are glorified in Hollywood with daring stunts and spectacular crashes and end with the bad guy in handcuffs. In real life, police chases rarely have happy endings. Recently, residents of the Philadelphia area were repeatedly subjected to the disturbing video news clip of a police chase accident that resulted in the death of a 36-year-old father, Danny Roman. Roman’s vehicle was struck as Gregory Alston fled police in a high-speed chase through North Philadelphia. Roman’s 4-year-old son, Jaden, and Jaden’s mother, Jenny Santiago, were also in the vehicle but survived the crash.
This article discusses liability for injuries to uninvolved persons, like Roman, arising from police pursuits of fleeing drivers under the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Torts Claim Act (PSTCA), 42 Pa. C.S.A. §8541 and the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Act, 42 Pa. C.S.A. §8541.
