PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) — A Pasadena man says a crash with a Pasadena police patrol car just days before Christmas left him seriously injured and uncertain about his future.
Chris Esparza says the Dec. 19 collision happened moments after he and his girlfriend picked up a pizza near Shaver and Southmore and were driving home. As he turned onto Southmore Avenue from Randall Street, his vehicle was struck by a Pasadena police car.
Pasadena police say Esparza should have yielded to the patrol vehicle. Esparza, however, says he never saw the police car approaching because its emergency lights and sirens were not activated — a detail confirmed in the official crash report.
Video recorded by a relative shows the aftermath of the crash, with severe damage to Esparza’s vehicle.
“I suffered fractured ribs and a collapsed lung,” Esparza said. “My girlfriend had bruises.”
Esparza says he spent a week in the hospital and is still recovering. He maintains that he stopped at the stop sign before turning and did not see any police vehicles coming.
“I believe it’s the police officer’s fault,” Esparza said. “The officer was speeding. There were no sirens and no headlights.”
ABC13 reviewed the crash report, which confirms the officer had turned off her lights and sirens shortly before the crash but does not explain why.
The report does not place fault on either party but lists two possible contributing factors:
– Code 35: Failure to yield, attributed to Esparza
– Code 60: Unsafe speed, attributed to the officer
Initially, Pasadena police said their internal investigation found Esparza failed to yield and that he was issued a ticket. After further questioning from ABC13, the department confirmed Esparza was not issued a citation, but police maintain the officer was not at fault.
Esparza says an attorney he consulted told him that even if the officer were found at fault, he may have limited legal options due to sovereign immunity, which generally protects officers from lawsuits while performing their duties.
Still recovering from his injuries, Esparza says he’s unsure what comes next other than being thankful to be alive.
“If it was a couple of feet to the right, it could have hit my door directly, and I could have died,” he said.
ABC13 has asked Pasadena police how fast the officer was traveling at the time of the crash and why her emergency lights were turned off. The department has not yet responded.
https://abc13.com/post/pasadena-man-says-crash-police-car-days-before-christmas-changed-life/18417910/
