Ada sheriff’s deputy chasing an e-bike ran a stop sign and crashed, claim says
A Star police officer was chasing an e-bike in March when he ran a stop sign and collided with a local man’s car, according to a claim.
The claim, made against Ada County and other jurisdictions by a passenger in the car, includes police documents that allege county Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Norris slowed his police car to 10 to 15 miles per hour at the stop sign before continuing and ultimately crashing. The city of Star contracts with Ada County for its police force.
At the time, Norris’s emergency lights were on but not his siren, and the driver of the car that Norris hit didn’t have a stop sign, a Meridian police report said. The driver, an 87-year-old man from Star, and his passenger were taken to the hospital by a relative, according to the report.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Lauren Montague declined to comment Wednesday, citing pending litigation.
“(The passenger) sustained various injuries to include acute pain in the cervical and thoracic spine and trauma to the left shoulder, chest and head,” said the claim, which the county received June 23. “The amount of damages at this time are not fully known.”
Norris wanted to stop the e-bike, he told a responding officer. Norris and the struck car’s driver said they couldn’t see each other’s vehicles, possibly because of shrubbery on the corner of the intersection at West First and North Union streets in Star.
The police report concluded that Norris ran the stop sign and the civilian driver didn’t yield to an emergency vehicle. The police car’s front push bumpers were damaged, and the civilian’s car was damaged on the driver’s side fender and front tire, the report said. That car was towed.
No citations were issued at the scene of the crash, the police report said. It’s unclear if any were filed later.
The tort claim was filed against the Ada County Sheriff’s Department, Ada County EMS and Paramedics, Star, Star Police and the Star Fire Protection District.
A tort claim is a civil claim made against a state or local government for a wrongful or negligent act. Under Idaho law, a tort claim must be filed with that government to allow it a chance to answer before being sued, though not all plaintiffs follow up unanswered claims by suing.
