Steven Rockich parked his Mazda while shopping in Akron, Ohio when he heard a disturbing sound. When he returned to his recently paid-off sedan, he saw it was mangled alongside three others. The cause of the crash? A police officer was speeding in response to a robbery call.
The accident happened in October, but security camera footage and cruiser dash camera footage showed how fast the officer was traveling, and how he neglected to turn on his sirens. He used his lights, but a car making a U-turn turned into his path of travel, causing the officer to swerve.
When he swerved, he missed the turning car and proceeded to crash right into four parked cars – totaling all of them. Two people were getting into the lead car and ended up needing hospital treatment.
“I could not believe my eyes, man, I was like what the heck?” Rockich told News 5.
Rockich expected the city to help with the costs
Not only did Rockich have to buy a new car after his Mazda was totaled by the speeding officer, but he also had to pay to have it towed away from the scene.
“The towing that I had to pay out-of-pocket was over $600, and then my car was worth over $5,000, so it’s all out the window— just smashed,” he said.
Since he caught word that the department put the officer at fault for violating its code of conduct, he expected the officer to be held accountable for the crash. He was wrong.
“I understand they need to do their job, but the city needs to be accountable for that and actually pay for the damages that they caused,” he continued.
The officer, according to the department, is in the “pre-disciplinary” stages of their internal investigation. However, whether he’s at fault or not (which it looks like he is), he won’t have to pay for Rockich’s Mazda.
Ohio cops are protected by “immunity”
“[The city of Akron] said that they’re not going to pay anything for what just happened because it’s full immunity,” he explained.
Michael Gentithes, a law professor at the local university, explained that immunity policies are designed to keep officers from hesitating while responding to a call.
“We don’t want officers hesitating to respond in emergencies. We want them to do their job,” he said. “The immunity covers at least negligent conduct by the officers, but if the officer’s conduct is willful and wanton, it might amount to liability.”
For now, Rockich is paying $300 for a new $13,000 car he wasn’t prepared to buy. He’s hoping the city will make an exception since he wasn’t at all involved in the crash.
