The Patrol Car at the Intersection

Highway patrol officers tried to pull over a motorcyclist on an interstate. He fled at speeds above 90 mph and, over about five and a half miles, led them onto city streets, running red lights and stop signs. At one intersection a pursuing patrol car struck the car of an uninvolved motorist, killing her and injuring the officer. The motorcyclist was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and other offences. The defence argued that the officer's own driving was a superseding cause that broke the chain of causation, and wanted the jury to hear evidence that the officers' conduct of the chase was unreasonable.