WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita musician Jenny Wood is suing the city of Wichita after a police chase ended with a crash that killed two of her relatives and left her permanently disabled.
Wood alleges in the lawsuit filed Thursday that the police officer who started the chase on May 5, 2019, was not properly trained. The stolen vehicle that was being pursued collided with the Wood family’s car, killing her mother and niece and seriously injuring Wood.
The lawsuit notes the chase went through downtown Wichita at speeds up to 75 mph on a busy Sunday afternoon, and contends the resulting crash was predictable.
Wood suffered brain trauma and bleeding, a skull fracture, seven broken ribs, multiple pelvic fractures and a broken collarbone, according to the the lawsuit.
City spokesman Jim Jonas declined to comment on pending litigation.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, Mia Collins of Douglass, was on probation for stealing a handgun. She was charged with stealing a vehicle but that charged was dropped in exchange for a guilty plea on the weapons charge.
She and a passenger in her car, Christopher English of Wichita, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man and woman in a stolen SUV involved in a crash that killed two people are both convicted felons.
Police say 24-year-old Mia Collins led police on a chase Sunday in a stolen BMW sport utility vehicle. After about 1 mile, the car collided with a car and another SUV at an intersection.
The crash killed 70-year-old Maria Wood and 12-year-old Rosemary McElroy and critically injured 36-year-old Jenny Wood, a popular Wichita musician known for performing with children. She is Wood’s daughter and McElroy’s aunt.
Collins is on probation. A passenger in her car, 38-year-old Christopher English, is on parole.
The driver of the SUV that was hit, 65-year-old Alfred Angle, was seriously injured. Collins and English also were taken to a hospital.