On Thanksgiving Day, a Dodge Charger was reportedly stolen in California. The following day, the police located the stolen vehicle and attempted to pull over the driver. However, the suspect chose to flee, resulting in a crash with an innocent motorist. Tragically, the driver ustained severe injuries and lost a limb in the accident. His family is now seeking assistance to cover the substantial medical expenses incurred as a result of the incident.
The crash occurred around 3 p.m. at the corner of Long Beach and Artesia boulevards. Police said that the accident itself happened at high speed and camera footage from a nearby gas station seems to corroborate that. As the two cars come together the innocent driver, Pedro Barrera, gets spun around in his Nissan pickup truck. The Dodge Charger rolls into a sign and a street light.
The Dodge burst into flames and police were following close behind to arrest its driver who had a fractured ankle. A female passenger in the Charger also sustained injuries. Police ensured that she received treatment at the scene, they questioned her and then released her. That means that Barrera ended up with the worst of the injuries despite having nothing to do with the chase or the stolen car.
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His family says that he’s still in the intensive care unit and has lost his arm at this point. They set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $50,000. “Pedro is a resilient soul, but the journey to recovery is arduous, both emotionally and financially. Medical expenses are escalating, and the rehabilitation process is expected to be lengthy. In these difficult times, we are reaching out to you, our extended support network, for help,” it said in a post on the platform.
As of this writing, the fundraiser has generated just $4,145. This is one of those near-worst-case scenarios that some point to in an effort to adjust police tactics surrounding vehicle pursuits. Despite the high level of skill that some officers demonstrate during pursuits, there’s simply no promise of safety for those involved in a chase and for those in the immediate area of a chase.