Mom of daughter hurt in police chase sues city over training

that assertion at a news conference Thursday to announce the suit.

“No citizen should be exposed to that risk of harm,” Mr. O’Brien said.

He said that police for years have had a “widespread custom” of allowing high-speed chases stemming from traffic violations, many of the chases ending in crashes.

“In Pittsburgh, almost a quarter of high-speed pursuits that are initiated over such offenses end in damage to someone or something,” he said.

“The fact that this city permits these pursuits, and the fact that it fails to train its police officers on how and when to initiate and terminate them, demonstrates its indifference to the safety of its citizens in a very obvious way.”

In 2016, Cameron McClay, the former police chief, imposed a new policy after the Robinson crash that mandated police to give chase only if the offender was involved in a violent felony.

The lawsuit cites statistics from 2012 to 2015 that show a decline in the number of crashes, and the lawyers said they have a filed a request with the city to get the 2016 and 2017 numbers.

But Mr. Wright said even if the more recent figures show fewer incidents, “it will always be too many.”

Mr. O’Brien also said a policy does not guarantee compliance.

“We believe that the pursuits are still taking place,” he said.

From 2012 through 2015, according to the suit, police engaged in 729 high-speed chases, 393 of which started because of a traffic violation.

Of those, 89 ended in crashes that hurt someone or damaged property.

“This was one of those,” Mr. Wright said.

Ms. Hanner, 55, said her son was at fault for fleeing and was punished for it.

“I said he got what he deserved,” she said. “Should he have fled? No.”

But she also said there was no reason for the police to chase him through crowded city streets and that her daughter paid the price with life-changing injuries.

She said the girl, now 15, had severe brain damage and internal injuries that required 24-hour rehab and later home schooling.

She is now back in school at Urban Pathways, where she is a 10th-grader, but still suffers balance issues from the brain injury.

“She’s doing OK. It’s a slow process,” she said. “She’s trying so hard to keep up.”

The city said it does not comment on ongoing litigation but noted that the police bureau revised its chase policy on June 2, 2017.

The city said under state law, pursuit policies are confidential.