Kentucky Injury Law Blog

Court rules police can't be sued in high-speed chase
Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:19PM EDT

By James Vicini

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a police officer cannot be held liable for ramming a fleeing car during a high-speed chase, forcing the vehicle off the road and resulting in severe injury or even death for the driver.

By an 8-1 vote, the high court ruled that the officer's conduct was reasonable because the car chase initiated by the suspect posed a substantial and immediate risk of serious physical injury to others.

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said a police video of the incident "resembles a Hollywood-style car chase of the most frightening sort."
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Scalia said an officer's attempt to end a dangerous high-speed car chase that threatened the lives of innocent bystanders did not violate the Constitution, even if it placed the fleeing motorist at risk of serious injury or death.

Court rules police can't be sued in high-speed chase | U.S. | Reuters.