An Omaha woman will be getting a large payout from the City of Omaha following a 2017 police pursuit and crash.
Police were chasing a suspect in a stolen car, he and his passengers being previously involved in felony crimes. The woman, just a bystander caught in the middle of the police chase just outside of downtown.
"While this pursuit was happening, the suspect who was attempting to flee from law enforcement ran a red light at 20th and Pierce, running into the innocent third party causing her personal injury and property damage," Assistant City Attorney Stacey Hultquist said.
That innocent third party was Lucila Velasquez-Burgos and on Tuesday, the city council approved a settlement of $400,000 for the woman.
City attorneys said the state of Nebraska is the only state in the country where there is strict liability when an innocent third party is involved in a police chase. In other states victims must prove negligence by the police department.