The city of Chattanooga won a lawsuit today initially filed 10 years ago by a man who was struck by a suspect's vehicle during a high-speed chase by a Chattanooga police officer.
Officer Andrew Hilton pursued a suspected stolen vehicle for about 95 seconds, mainly on Amnicola Highway. The vehicle, a black Honda Accord, stolen from Brainerd the previous day, struck a vehicle driven by John P. Abrell at the intersection of Wisdom Street on Aug. 9, 2000.
Abrell, 46, testified in a trial last week that he suffers from chronic pain and has to routinely take pain medication. Abrell spent seven days at Erlanger hospital. He had a slight concussion and had no surgery. The suit was seeking up to $130,000.
"Given the distance traversed and the speed of the black Honda, it is believed that the accident would have happened even if Officer Hilton had ceased pursuit once he got back on Amnicola Highway," writes Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Neil Thomas in an order issued today.