Oregon Police Officer Facing $17 Million Lawsuit Following Death of an Innocent Woman During a High-Speed Chase
The partner of a 40-year-old woman who was killed when a police officer’s car smashed into her vehicle during a high-speed chase is claiming $17 million from the City of Gresham and the police officer, Jonathan Buck.
Six People Have Died in Gresham Traffic Stop Incidents
This brings the death toll to six people who have died in connection with Gresham police traffic stops in three separate incidents. The police have said that at least one of the incidents did not involve a police chase.
Just last month, two people died after fleeing from Gresham officers involved in a multiple police agency traffic stop to clamp down on street takeovers and speeding. Earlier this summer, three teenagers were killed when Gresham officers attempted to stop their vehicle in Southeast Portland.
Police Were Chasing the Wrong Person When Woman Was Killed
The federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Oregon contends that Gresham police were chasing the wrong person in a robbery investigation on June 25, 2023, killing an innocent bystander, Jennifer Parise.
Court papers reveal that Gresham police crashed into her Toyota Yaris after a 34-block high-speed chase. The lawsuit has been filed by her partner, Lauran Parise, who was in the car at the time of the collision but escaped with a gash on his forehead and nose.
The collision, after a chase in which speeds of up to 100 miles p/h were clocked, occurred near the intersection of Northeast 146th Avenue and Glisan Street where the suspect lost control of his vehicle, smashing into an unoccupied parked car and then spinning into the vehicle occupied by the Parise’s.
The impact of the collision lifted the Parise car off the road, before crashing back down and turning to a halt.
Last June, Gresham police circulated a bulletin describing the car of a robbery suspect, according to the lawsuit. The car was described as a silver sedan, possibly a 2000s Buick LeSabre, with no license plates. Buck spotted a silver Buick Regal on Northeast 181st Avenue two days later and began following the driver after radioing dispatch.
Police statements concerning the crash say that the driver of the Buick Regal was Nathan Franklin Jr. (61) who rear-ended the Parise’s Yaris while fleeing from an attempted traffic stop.
Franklin was indicted by a Multnomah County jury on Thursday for manslaughter, assault, reckless driving, recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence, and driving while his privileges were suspended or revoked.
Court papers reveal that at the scene of the accident, Gresham officers forced open the Yaris doors and cut the couple out of their seatbelts. The lawsuit alleges that the officers removed Jennifer Parise from the vehicle without waiting for the arrival of the paramedics.
The suit says that Parise was not stabilized before she was wrenched by her arms from the driver’s side, falling face down on a grassy embankment.
The officers then rolled her onto her back and then onto a patient transport unit when she began gasping for breath. After the arrival of the paramedics, Jennifer Parise was rushed to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center where she died.
Gresham Police are a Menace to Society and Endanger Innocent Civilians
In papers, Lauran Parise’s attorney, Beth Creighton says the lawsuit holds the city of Gresham accountable for unsafe practices that harm the public.
Creighton says the way Gresham police pursue suspects ‘is a menace to society and endangers innocent civilians.’ The lawsuit contends that Buck was aware that the speed at which he and the suspect were traveling was unsafe, disregarding traffic laws.
Previously, a Gresham police spokesman said Buck had not violated any department policies and would not face any disciplinary measures relating to the fatal accident.